Posted inAcademics Featured North America

Bird Petroglyphs at Three Rivers

This paper offers a selection of bird petroglyphs recorded at Three Rivers, the largest rock art site in the Mogollon Territory of southern New Mexico, North America. In this paper I discuss the several, often enigmatic representations of various birds at Three Rivers and I attempt at offering hopefully acceptable interpretations. In my opinion, birds (also at Three Rivers) functioned as messengers to the ancestors and deities that reside in the Upper Realm, and/or birds symbolised fertility, especially when associated with the Cloud Terrace.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America

Symbols on Top of a Pole in Rock Art

This paper describes specific petroglyphs recorded at sites in Peru (South America) and sites in New Mexico (North America). It concerns images of symbols that are found at the top of a vertically held pole. The symbol may be an object, a biomorph or an abstract pattern. The three areas that are being discussed have different types of images. For instance, poles with birds on top are most frequent at sites in Peru, while examples in New Mexico have poles often carried by biomorphs (absent in Peru). A careful attempt will be made to interpret the symbol-on-poles configuration.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America

The “Severed Limb” in the Rock Art of New Mexico

This paper describes several petroglyphs recorded at a few sites in New Mexico, Northern America, that represent isolated feet, legs, hands and arms, suggesting that those body parts had been violently severed from the human body, or – in some instances – from an animal body. There is no informed knowledge available and therefore the paper will only offer a possible explanation by comparing the severed body parts with imagery found at the Slaughter House at Cerro Sechín, an important ancient temple complex very near the Pacific Coast in northern Peru, and with some petroglyphs at Palamenco, not far from Cerro Sechín.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Australia Featured South America

“Hidden” Images in Rock Art

This study is about a less recognised and controversial phenomenon in rock art production. In my opinion certain images and/or elements of an image have intentionally been “hidden” by the manufacturer, possibly for several (often differing) reasons. A small selection of examples from all over the world have been included and illustrated. However, I argue that the most “conspicuously” “hidden” elements are not even present; they are invisible (on purpose!).

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Mid-America South America

Detached Heads in Rock Art

This study deals with images of anthropomorphic figures in rock art and geoglyph art that clearly have been depicted with a Detached Head. It focusses on two rock art sites; Miculla in the desert of southern Peru, and La Proveedora in the NW of Mexico. Both sites feature specific anthropomorphic figures that have intentionally been drawn without the heads being attached to the body. Also geoglyphs with Detached Heads (in Peru and Chile) will be discussed. It will (very tentatively) been attempted to explain the differences between the two sites, while also the (general) problem of interpretation will be considered.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

Petroglyphs of Cerro Queneto – Peru

This study – about the petroglyphs at Cerro Queneto – is part of a bigger project covering several sites in the neighbouring drainages of the Río Moche and Río Virú (northern Peru). The paper offers a review and inventory of two of the three rock art groups bordering the western fringe of the alluvial fan of the Quebrada de San Juan (part of the Virú Drainage). This is the first “complete” inventory of the two little-known rock art sites that my wife and I discovered in the area.

By  Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

Monkey Petroglyphs in Coastal Peru

The rock art of the Desert Andes, the extremely dry coastal strip west of the High Andes in South America, abounds in images of all sorts of animals. Most animals are to be expected: camelids, birds, snakes and felines, for instance. However, there is one animal species that is unforeseen. It concerns the image of the monkey. This study explores the distribution if the monkey in the rock art of mainly coastal Peru, and attempts at explaining the figure.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Geoglyphs South America

The Stepped Design in Desert Andes Rock Art

There are several motifs and images that have an unexpected rare occurrence in the rock art of the Desert Andes of South America. One such a motif is the Stepped Design that is ubiquitously depicted on ceramics, textiles and in other artefacts, as well as in architectural art. However, the Stepped Design is an anomaly (in several ways) in the rock art of coastal Chile and Peru. This study explores the distribution and attempts at explaining those anomalies.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Morocco South America

Revealing Locations of Rock Art Sites

This paper discusses the often difficult decision whether to publish the accurate location of a rock art site, or not to disclose that information. But if a scientist reveals the exact location, the information should be correct. This paper offers a number of instances where the location of a rock art site has incorrectly been published, or where a rock art panel has incorrectly been located. I hope that this paper will be regarded to be a constructive contribution in order to encourage (in general) the publication of correct information.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

The Chillihuay “Lord” – Peru

This paper discusses the possible meaning of two impressive petroglyphs at Chillihuay in the Ocoña Drainage of southern Peru. One petroglyph concerns the very large image of what is often called “The Lord”, which suggests that it is an image of an Andean God, possibly the well-known Staff God. Despite the many conflicts and wars that no doubt occurred throughout prehistoric Andes, it is in my mind certain that the two petroglyphs at Chillihuay offer no evidence for a militaristic theme in the rock art of the area, as is – in my opinion incorrectly – claimed by archaeologists Scaffidi and Tung, and later also accepted by Zborover.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

A Petroglyph Panel at Chillihuay, Peru.

This study mainly focusses on the rock art imagery on one specific and special panel at the rock art site of Chillihuay in southern Peru. This panel has an exceptionally high number of much differing anthropomorphic petroglyphs that – in my opinion – have intentionally been executed at this spot, high upon the mountain. I also argue that this collection expresses the worldview of the ancient peoples of this area, which may well be related to the Sacred Mountain of the area.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Geoglyphs Mines Protection – Salvaguardia Rock art SOS SOS South America

El Vagón Violated (Peru).

This short paper reports the unexpected destruction and violation of an important rock art site – El Vagón – in the Moche Drainage of northern Peru. In 2019 I published a full account of this site, based on several surveys by my wife and me. In 2017 there was no destruction visible, but in August 2024 I found (via Google Earth) out that the site had been destroyed by heavy machinery. This short paper discusses the damage, often referring to my earlier publication. It is sad that the site survived from the Formative Period (2000-500 B.C.) up to at least 2022, and was then recklessly and shamefully violated and destroyed in a few days, apparently without any warning or any official archaeological survey. Permission should never have been granted!

By  Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

Petroglyphs at Cerro Mal Paso, Peru

This paper describes the several rock art panels recorded by us after 2012 at the rock art site of Cerro Mal Paso in the Chancay Valley of northern Peru. In addition also some other petroglyph- panels at the site have been recorded by other explorers, as well as a few petroglyph panels recorded by others beyond Cerro Mal Paso. The focus of the paper is on a rather enigmatic image, a possible anthropomorphic-zoomorphic figure (lizard or bird?), while this study also offers a tentative explanation of the anthropomorphic-zoomorphic figure.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured South America

A New “Venus” Cross Petroglyph

This short paper discusses a new find of another petroglyph depicting the “Venus-Cross” in the Vítor Valley of Southern Peru. The paper also reviews its distribution within the Majes Rock Art Style (MRAS) and within a much larger area (the Desert Andes). It proves that – for still some unknown reason – the “Venus-Cross” is overrepresented in the Vítor Drainage.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Interpretation and semiotics South America

Commenting on Rozwadowski and Wołoszyn

This paper reviews the publication by academic archaeologists, Andrzej Rozwadowski and Janusz Z. Wołoszyn, in which they suggest that zigzag petroglyphs at Toro Muerto in the Majes Valley of southern Peru – constituting the most important rock art site in the Desert Andes of South America – could be representations of songs. In my paper I question a number of their suggestions and statements by trying to put the whole issue in a more appropriate context. I cannot refute their theory, but my objections makes it unlikely (though not impossible) that Toro Muerto zigzags indeed represent songs.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Interpretation and semiotics South America

Animated Abstracts in Majes Rock Art

This paper is one of a series of studies that investigates the rock art of the Majes Rock Art Style (MRAS) in southern Peru. This time I focus on petroglyphs of long, pecked stripes that have been animated by the prehistoric Majes People. I now argue that those Animated Stripes and many other typical MRAS images (discussed earlier by me; see my bibliography), including another icon (the “Majes Spitter”, which is the subject of my next study) created the Toro Muerto Anomaly, which – unfortunately – is either unknown or neglected by archaeologists busy in the Majes Valley.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Morocco

Petroglyphs of Tizounine. Southern Morocco

This petroglyph site – located in the far south of Morocco – has only a small number of decorated panels. Yet there is a surprising variety in imagery, which ranges from biomorphic figures (mainly quadrupeds of the Tazina Style) and abstract motifs, one of which may well depict an (unplayable) game-board. A few (abstract?) motifs are enigmatic.

By Maarten van Hoek