8,200-year-old cave paintings discovered in Argentine Patagonia. They are the most ancient of all found in South America.
The discovery was made by Argentine and Chilean archaeologists when they explored the Huenulle-1 cave. Its area is 630 square meters. Almost 900 drawings were found here. They were made at different times.
The find reflects the culture and communication methods of the people who inhabited this region during the Middle Holocene. At that time, hunter-gatherers lived here. According to scientists, with the help of drawings they conveyed important information to each other. Perhaps it helped find water in arid and hot areas.
Scientists were surprised by such an abundance of different drawings in one cave. They are made with coal or using dyes from various plants. Abstract drawings depict people, animals and birds.
