Chamangá: A Rock Paintings Area

Description

The area of Chamangá, located in the Province of Flores is characterized for having the greatest concentration of pictographic sites from Uruguay. The potential of this place in relation to these type of archeological areas is confirmed day after day with the constant increase in the number of rupestrian representations findings. More than 40 rock paintings have been registered up until the moment. These artistic sites are found in open areas where granite blocks were used as support for the production of paintings. These round-shaped granite blocks are common in the center and south part of the country, surrounded by a landscape of plains and hilly lands. In this archeological area that entails 100 km2 approximately, the relationships between the painted blocks and their archeological context have been considered as well as their development within this frame that constitutes a cultural scenery called the rock paintings area of Chamangá. The pictographs are characterized by abstract representations with varied geometrical motives and the monochrome within the nuances of the red. They have been estimated to be more than two thousand years old. Some particular cases of paintings with miniature style as well as fine engravings are distinguished accurately. Besides the high density of pictographs, the archeological investigations - although still insufficient - have determined the existence of a varied archeological register. The latter includes: polished lithic materials, pottery, as well as quarry sites. The data taken from the archeological investigations indicate that the area was temporary occupied by groups of hunters-collectors-fishermen.