South America keeps many secrets and mysteries. The majestic pyramids of the Aztecs and Incas, strange and frightening underground catacombs of unknown civilizations. And - a fantastic park of stone idols in Colombia. This place is shrouded in mystery. This place retains the spirit of antiquity. It seems that time has stopped here. This is the San Agustin Valley.
The ancient civilizations of South America left behind a grandiose legacy, the meaning of which is still completely incomprehensible to us. However, the numerous artifacts that are scattered throughout all parts of the continent involuntarily make us think about how strongly the culture of these peoples was developed. And, the more such finds appear before the eyes, the more questions arise for historians.
In the small Colombian valley of San Agustin, five hundred kilometers from Bogota, there is a small town of the same name. Its population is only 30 thousand inhabitants. However, every year thousands of tourists flock there to look at the wonderful statues discovered in 1758 by the Catholic monk Juan de Santa.
According to the missionary's stories, these were fantastic sculptures that inspired both fear and respect. Two centuries later, archaeologists became interested in the site, and in the mid-19th century, the Italian Godazzi visited San Agustin to make sketches of individual statues.
Fifty years later, the professor of archeology Karl Stopel went on the trail of the general, and even made several casts of the statues, discovering that some of them are tombs. However, he did not find bones there, rightly assuming that they were either completely decomposed, or they were devoured by animals.
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As a result of further research, about 328 stone idols were counted, each of which is unique. They are connected only by common features - huge, sharp teeth, a fierce look. Many monsters squeeze babies upside down in their paws. Some of the statues are clutching a knife in their paws, the other - a stylus for writing. Several figures devour human embryos.
The observer may get the impression that the ancient sculptors saw the prototypes of these idols before them. Their faces seem so alive and real, so strong emotions were put into them by ancient architects that after centuries they emanate in waves from ancient statues.
In the center of this crowd of stone idols rises a dolmen, consisting of two statues and two columns propping up a huge stone slab, similar to the vault of a temple. The statues clutch an ax and a mace in their clawed paws, their helmets are on their heads, and images that look like celestial spirits hover above them. All this splendor is carved out of granite, which simply does not exist in these places. It is scary to imagine how much effort was invested in the delivery of these statues to their current location. However, there are sculptures of porous volcanic rocks and even simple sandstone. Hollow sarcophagi, which are carved from monolithic boulders, are also found among the sculptures. They look like huge baths, and stone idols that symbolize the dead leaders rest in them.
Spectral analysis of the rocks indicated that the first figures of the San Agustin Valley were created in 800 BC. The architectural ensemble is older than the pyramids in Egypt. Only we know the builders of the pyramids, from architects to simple slaves. We can even find out such little things as the amount of bread eaten during construction. We will never know the authors of these idols.
The ornament covering the statues is complex, sometimes among them there are figures with a double face. Paleontologists suggested that the ancient stonemasons wanted to show by this the meeting of two creatures, from which the third is ultimately obtained. These sculptures are said to warn a person against the danger lurking behind his back. There is no consensus.
There is another miracle that connects idols in the San Agustin Valley. This is a group of springs in which the feet were washed. In the monolithic rock, a wonderful network of channels of various depths, widths and lengths is carved, which flow into small and large basins. All this building is spread over an area of three hundred square meters. The channels form an intricate maze. Perhaps this net was used as a source for ablutions. However, many experts see it as blood channels that originated from sacrificial altars.
This place has long been included in the UNESCO heritage list. The guides say that many people, having been here, often return, because the stone idols seem to keep people from going. There is a legend about a Dutchman who for twenty years, every year, on his birthday, comes here to walk the same path among the statues and return to his homeland. Nobody knows why he does it. And the Dutchman himself only keeps silent, and smiles mysteriously.