I was exploring the desert around San Francisquito. The area was strewn with boulders, both large and small. The picture you are seeing is fairly
characteristic of what the landscape looked like. My kind of country.
Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 06:19 PM
Sometime around mid afternoon I rounded a large rock and entered a large opening to find this. What you're seeing is the floor and wall of a cave
large enough to let you stand upright. Behind me was an enormous flat rock laying on it's side. It stood about 2-3 feet high and was as wide as a
grand piano.
Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 06:20 PM
I placed my belongings down in the sand and looked upward. On the ceiling, above the flat rock I saw the following painting. I laid down on the cool
flat surface and examined it more closely. The left painting was clearly a turtle. I could never decide what the right one was. Laying there, I
thought about them for some time and started to theorize why someone would decide to paint a turtle and not something else.
I thought about the people who must have lived in this spot years ago and what life was like. The countryside is waterless and pretty barren. I don't
know what they subsisted upon but a good meal probably was hard to come by. A turtle was probably a real feast for these people. Not too difficult to
catch it was by far and away the best they could get. A time to celebrate. And so the picture came about.
Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 06:21 PM
It was pleasantly cool in there despite the surrounding heat. Eventually I rolled off and looked for other signs of the past. The following image
confirmed that people had actually lived and cooked in this cave. The dark blotches on the wall is actually carbon that has remained after all these
years. It must have been where they roasted their food and the smoke from their fires has left its black marks.
Iflyfish - 4-26-2007 at 06:39 PM
Great pics. What a find. Thank you for sharing them with us.
IflyfishNatalie Ann - 4-26-2007 at 07:48 PM
Nice little illustrated story, Igor. Thanks for sharing it.
I thought for sure that second picture with its windswept rocks would be my favorite... until I saw the fourth image - that is really something.
Those black carbon smudges create quite a dramatic effect along with the contour and color of all that rock. You're really lucky to have had this
experience... but then I'll bet you know that.Paula - 4-26-2007 at 07:52 PM
Very intriguing pictures, Igor, it does look like a beautiful part of Baja! As amazing as it is to see the major paintings and petroglyphs, the sense
of discovery when you just happen upon artwork is also rewarding.David K - 4-26-2007 at 07:54 PM
Great find and thanks for sharing! Baja inspired ancient man to 'write' stories about it (via pictographs and petroglyphs) as it inspires us to write
about in in books and online!Paula - 4-26-2007 at 08:07 PM
Hmmmmm.......... the second photo.... the fourth photo.... the second, no, the fourth.... well, I have to favor the second, as that uplifting form
seems like it could support a whole mountain, even as it protects the egg in the shadow beneath it.
Fortunately, we don't really have to choose a favorite, eh, Nena? Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 08:23 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Paula
As amazing as it is to see the major paintings and petroglyphs, the sense of discovery when you just happen upon artwork is also rewarding.
I really agree with you on that statement. I've never seen any of the great baja art caves because I just hate being guided.
I have gone to great lengths to take my kids in my boat through schools of porpoises so that they know the difference in the thrill of a natural
experience compared to what their classmates are getting at sea world.
You can develop an entire philosophy in life about how close you are living to the fullest when you learn on your own as opposed to having someone
else teach you. But that's taking things too far for now.
Thank you for your comments David K.
When I took these pictures, and BTW the first was taken just a couple of hours before the cave discovery, my favorite was the 2nd. I like the arch in
the second and the wall texture in the 4th.Paula - 4-26-2007 at 08:29 PM
Igor, don't write off going into the mountains with a guide. The guys down here are just old-time ranchers, not your know-it-all official US guide
type. The hard thing for me in the sierra was the protective boardwalks and railings that INAH is putting up. Really overkill, and they do lessen
the experience. Go now while some remain "unprotected"!Natalie Ann - 4-26-2007 at 08:36 PM
I agree with Paula, Igor... and a good first adventure is with Salvador in Mulege, out to the Valle Trinidad. Seems like it would be a great daytrip
for you and that son of yours on your summer vacation.
[Edited on 4-27-2007 by Natalie Ann]Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 09:20 PM
Oh, one other problem I forgot to mention ... I'm a cheapskate.fdt - 4-26-2007 at 10:19 PM
Beautiful, all of them.Paula - 4-27-2007 at 02:10 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Oh, one other problem I forgot to mention ... I'm a cheapskate.
Well, don't let that stop you! If you go to INAH in San Ignacio and arrange your trip with them, it won't cost much. They set you up with the guide
and animals, you bring gear and food (bring enough for the guide too). Uncountable photo opportunities await you on your trip!
Not trying to twist your arm, I'm sure Nena isn't either..Skipjack Joe - 4-27-2007 at 02:20 PM
Would you care to add your images from that area. I would be interested, as would be others, I'm sure.Natalie Ann - 4-27-2007 at 02:57 PM
Yeah, Paula, I am trying to twist his arm. Even if he is a cheapskate, I think he and his son would really enjoy either your way of seeing cave
paintings or mine. And as you said, won't be a lot of time one can still do that.
I'll try to find some photos from my trip and post some... but I'd be particularly interested in seeing some of yours, Paula. You did the
mules/horses and the big trip, the whole nine yards and then some, and I'll bet the photos are great.tripledigitken - 4-27-2007 at 03:09 PM
Igor,
What an adventure to just stumble upon that site. It's one thing to go to a known location and enjoy it, but to discover
one......................that's a perfect Baja moment.
Nice pictures, as usuall. We expect that from you!
Would love to explore the site next time we go to San Fransisquito. An extraordinary area it is and one of my favorites in all of Baja.
Thanks
[Edited on 4-27-2007 by tripledigitken]Skipjack Joe - 4-27-2007 at 03:38 PM
You know, Ken, I would never be able to find that cave again. It was off the graded road between Bahia San Rafael and San Francisquito, but beyond
that I haven't a clue. No dwellings were in sight and no distinctive landmarks.
No big deal really. There are better caves all around. It's just nice to find something when you're not looking for it. That's the best part. Not
being shown were it is and not having it all explained to you.tripledigitken - 4-27-2007 at 03:53 PM
Igor,
Come on you don't have GPS coordinates?Paula - 4-27-2007 at 09:00 PM
Igor, hope these inspire you...
Nena, show us your Mulege caves!
There are more pictures on the "la sierra san francisco thread by paula.Skipjack Joe - 4-27-2007 at 10:31 PM
They do. They're really impressive. They look like those old roman frescos. Or those Altamira(?) cave paintings in France. Any idea about their age?
Are we talking about hundreds or thousands of years old?
I like the third one the most.
I can see why they would want to protect them. Marring one of those would be a real tragedy. I'm trying to get a perspective on their size. As I
recall from the books they're really large, aren't they?
Ken: no gps back then (1986). The military had them though. Only 8 satellites had been launched (now 24 I think). The gps receiver was the size of a
shimano tackle box in those days.
[Edited on 4-28-2007 by Skipjack Joe]Sharksbaja - 4-28-2007 at 12:41 AM
Thanks Joe for sharing. Very special stuff!Paula - 4-28-2007 at 07:22 AM
For balance, one reason you should not go on the trip...
As you can see, the stress of being back in the wilds of Baja with only pack animals to rely on in an emergency can really get to a personCypress - 4-28-2007 at 07:32 AM
Thanks for the picturesIf the fish aren't biting and the water's too rough for
kayaking, head for the hills.Paula - 4-28-2007 at 07:47 AM
INAH research dates the paintings back as far as 3000 bc, possibly. Size varies-- those we saw are life size and larger. Some are on cave ceilings
and other hard to reach places. Some people say the Altamira paintings are less spectacular than these.Osprey - 4-28-2007 at 07:55 AM
Paula, radiocarbon dating from the paint pigment in several locations in the Fransciscos date some of the paintings at 7,800 ybp.Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:14 PM
On the hike in to the cave paintings in Valle Trinidad, you cross an area which includes an old dam filled by a stream and by rainwater. It was
February when we were there, and I especially liked crossing the water and stepping out into the caves.
Con permiso, I'll show you a few pix of how that was.
Climbing up toward the damn:
Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:18 PM
The steep walls of the Trinidads provided some truly lovely views around each corner. In this one you can see the water in the dam way below:
Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:19 PM
And when you get down there the water is clear as glass:
Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:21 PM
A paddle in a small boat gets one to the first and larger cave with the rock paintings:
Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:23 PM
And then suddenly, around one corner, some large flat red rock and a long swept back overhang. We anchor the boat and step onto the rock... and then,
looking up and across to the wall of the overhang... the most surprising sight:
Natalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 12:25 PM
There were paintings in different colors, from different eras, the white being the ones which best show up in my photographs. There was something I
especially liked about these hands:
Paula - 4-28-2007 at 01:00 PM
Nena,
The third image is sooooo absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I want to jump into those colors! And the manos magicas, I haven't seen that image down here
before-- it's a favorite symbol of mine.
Now I want to go there more than ever-- was it a day trip? Or did you camp? Is the boat you took in the place where I thought you had to swim? I
hope you'll tell us about the trip as well as showing us!
I think Igor must be convinced by nowNatalie Ann - 4-28-2007 at 01:33 PM
The water was just the way it looked... glassey and boy! was it icey. Yep, same pool as others swim across. I'm sure the water gets warmer as the
year goes on... and also that it gets lower. We covered a good bit of water in our little boat, across the dam and up the stream.
This is a nice little day trip. Leave in a car from Mulege, drive through the desert with the opportunity to get out, explore, have Salavdor tell ya
about the plants (which I thought was way cool). At the base of the Trinidads, we stopped at a small rancho which is the entry point of the hike to
the paintings. Afterwards, the folks there provide an excellent rancho lunch.
The hike in took some time but was not difficult. I particularly enjoyed the ever-changing landscape and feel the trip would have been worth it just
for seeing all that. The cave paintings, more than I've shown here, are truly icing on the cake of this trip.
And ya know, Paula, if Igor isn't convinced by now... well, he's just gonna miss out, that's all I can say.windgrrl - 4-28-2007 at 08:09 PM
Thanx for the rox pix - amazing find.Skipjack Joe - 4-29-2007 at 07:10 PM
Thank you ladies for contributing your cave excursions to this thread. It really does help to see in advance what the best of bajas cave paintings
have to offer.
I really liked your picture of the palo blanco in the canyon the most. It's so characteristic of those canyons and so beautifully displayed. Has an
oriental feeling to it, don't you think?David K - 4-29-2007 at 11:40 PM
Thank you Natalie for sharing those wonderful photos!Natalie Ann - 5-1-2007 at 08:52 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I really liked your picture of the palo blanco in the canyon the most. It's so characteristic of those canyons and so beautifully displayed. Has an
oriental feeling to it, don't you think?
The few palo blancos and cardons growing way up the sides of those canyon walls were just gorgeous, and created quite a magical feeling. These next
photos show us walking deeper into that canyon, and then give you one very artsy shot of the plant life high above us.
Natalie Ann - 5-1-2007 at 08:53 AM
artsy:
maravilloso!
Skipjack Joe - 5-1-2007 at 12:22 PM
A few more pics of Trinidad Painted Caves
amir - 5-14-2007 at 11:21 PM
We too went on the guided tour with Salvador out of Mulege, in January of 2005. It was $30 per person, was a whole day excursion, and it included
lunch on the rancho at the head of the trail on the way down from the Canyon. A large portion of the fees goes to the several private landowners whose
land we had to cross to get there. So these are not places that you would find on your own by just walking around, unless you get permission to
trespass. We thought it was a bargain for the experience, and Salvador was a wealth of knowledge on local fauna and flora and a great intepreter of
the hundreds of cave paintings in several of the caves that he pointed to us.
There is a coffee table book on the Painted Caves of Baja, and they are all being mapped by the archeology departments of Mexican Universities. They
have found so far over 900 of these locations in Baja, dating back up to 10,000 years. The mountains around Mulege are rich in these caves, and maybe
fortunately, they ARE in private land. This particular canyon in the Trinidad Mountains is special because of the large amount of caves and paintings,
and also because of the signs of ancient man-made dams, allowing our early Nomad brothers and sisters to be able to live and survive in this canyon
for continued long periods of time thus developing a culture that supported their artistic endeavors.
Beautiful photos have already been posted on this thread; I will just add very few to show a little more of the WONDER-ful trek up the canyon and the
incredible variety of geological formations and eye-candy...
amir - 5-14-2007 at 11:27 PM
The ever changing landscape was fascinating...
amir - 5-14-2007 at 11:34 PM
During this particular dry year, there hadn't been enough rain to build the lake, so we didn't get to ride on the boats. Walking on the dry river bed,
although in some places muddy, afforded a unique experience. Salvador talked about it being a popular swimming hole sometimes, that is, if you like
swimming in ice-cold water...
amir - 5-14-2007 at 11:41 PM
In a few places the climb was challenging; we were surprised that proper foot wear was not emphasized before the hike, but everybody helped everybody
else and the group stayed close together. A couple of times we had to take our shoes off and get in the water. In one spot the water was so clear that
I miscalculated and went in to my waist, getting all my pocket papers, documents and spare camera batteries all wet. Luckily I had placed the camera
itself in my shoe and was carrying them over my head...
amir - 5-14-2007 at 11:50 PM
The highest of the caves had this "eagle" painted on the ceiling. The last bit of climbing was difficult but worth all the effort to capture this
sight (I had a much harder time climbing DOWN this last sheer cliff - avoiding looking down helped, and thank God that it was only a few stories
high!) Archeologically this is an incredible old piece of art, but artistically very advanced and modern.
amir - 5-15-2007 at 12:03 AM
After lunch, Salvador, the guide, then drove us to Piedras Pintas, a few miles away - a high and vast wall of rock with perhaps hundreds of man-made
markings, carvings and paintings. Because of the nature of the terrain here, and the quantity and variety of images depicted, it is believed that
ancient Nomads also lived here for a long time, when the ocean was a lot closer to this cliff than it is now, and there must have been also a river at
its base that provided plenty of food for the tribe. It was comforting to think that what we are doing here now as Nomads has been done before for
thousands of years, and I was thankful that our predecessors had the foresight to leave their imprints (grafitti) for us to enjoy today...
amir - 5-15-2007 at 12:20 AM
This Wall of Grafitti extended for a long ways; experts have studied it in detail and it represents many generations of artists and varied ecosystems,
including some marine and land animals that are extinct today. We didn't get to explore the whole area because it was time to return. My favorite
petroglyph was this group of manta rays.
So yes, there is a wonderful romantic benefit to finding wonderful spots on your own, and I yearn to someday stumble upon magic spots myself. But to
see these relics of the Trinidad Painted Caves and the grafitti murals of Piedras Pintas outside of Mulege, I am glad that a guide with knowledge,
passion, and permission, led the way...
--Amir.
Cypress - 5-15-2007 at 05:30 AM
amir, Thanks.Crusoe - 5-15-2007 at 07:16 AM
Amir.....Thanks so much for sharing the pics....Fantastic!!!Natalie Ann - 5-15-2007 at 07:54 AM
What beautiful photos, Amir. Isn't it just a wonderful trip with a really affordable price?!
Those manta rays in your photo are wonderful... and although you missed the water-filled dam and all the water fowl that included, you got all the way
back to those other areas which were difficult for us to access because of the deep very cold water. Thank you much for sharing your trip with us.
NenaWingnut - 5-15-2007 at 04:05 PM
Wonderful pics, thanks to all for sharing them.
Sold
Skipjack Joe - 5-15-2007 at 11:51 PM
Well, I'm sold on this place, Amir.
Your descriptions sure sound interesting. I was wondering about those caves in that first picture. Did people live in them? I wonder how they got up
there.
I like the eagle picture also. The eagle reigned supreme to them and deserved a place worthy of it's stature. I think that the location of the
painting and that the wings are all spread out like that may suggest that it wasn't just another painting to them.
Thanks for sharing the pictures, Amir. I'm looking forward to visiting this canyon of yours. You seem to know a lot about the subject.
[Edited on 5-16-2007 by Skipjack Joe]amir - 5-16-2007 at 12:46 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I was wondering about those caves in that first picture. Did people live in them? I wonder how they got up there.
I imagine that people lived in every nook and cranny and cave available. If they were ingenious enough to dam the water, and if they made "paints"
that lasted thousands of years, and if they painted humungous pictures on overhanging ledges that are 70 feet high, then I'm sure they were able to
figure out how to climb into that cave... Maybe there is a back entrance somewhere and those holes are just the windows... I don't know... But for
sure they lived there; it might have even been the tribal chief's cave, or maybe a primitive gringo that could afford windows and a lakeside view...
No, really, I don't know, but my imagination runs wild when I think about these very same questions; isn't all very fascinating? Following is a
picture of a grinding stone in one of the caves, allegedly left there by these ancients. The people that lived here were not "primitive"; they were
just like us, but they lived a long, long time ago. I wish I knew a lot more about how it really was back then; all I do know about this I learned
from Salvador, the guide from Mulege that took us there.
If the fish aren't biting and the water's too rough for
kayaking, head for the hills.