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Skipjack Joe
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maravilloso!
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amir
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A few more pics of Trinidad Painted Caves
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...
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amir
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The ever changing landscape was fascinating...
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amir
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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...
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amir
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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...
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amir
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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.
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amir
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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...
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amir
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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.
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Cypress
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amir, Thanks.
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Crusoe
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Amir.....Thanks so much for sharing the pics....Fantastic!!!
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Natalie Ann
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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.
Nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Wingnut
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Wonderful pics, thanks to all for sharing them.
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Skipjack Joe
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Sold
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]
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amir
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| 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.
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