VAN HOEK, M. 2012. Rumimantam Llaqllasaq Wirpuykita: The 'Cycle of Life' in the Rock Art of the Desert Andes. Oisterwijk, The Netherlands.
Abstract
The book exclusively describes and discusses rock art images from the Desert Andes (the deserts of western Peru and northern Chile) which are associated with life and death (sex and gender related imagery). The book has been lavishly decorated with 326 illustrations (many colour photos and numerous drawings)……. El libro exclusivamente trata las imagenes en el Arte Rupestre Andino (Desert Andes = el Perú desértico y el norte de Chile) que expresan figuras y escenas relacionado con la vida y la muerte. El libro ha sido espléndidamente decorado con 326 ilustraciones (muchas fotos en color y numerosos dibujos).
... From this purported vulva-element runs a long, vertically arranged serpentine line. I very tentatively would like to suggest that this serpentine line might represent or symbolise an emission, possibly a menstrual flow, while the concentric square might symbolise a womb (see also Van Hoek 2012). ...
This book was written by me to serve as a supplement to a most extensive survey of the Wari Settlement at Quilcapampa in the Sihuas Valley of Southern Peru, the results of which were published in 2021 after many years of meticulous excavation and research, which started in 2013 by the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Quilcapampa La Antigua (PIAQ). Their surveys resulted in the publication of a most informative book called: Jennings, J., W. Yépez Álvarez and S. L. Bautista (eds.). 2021. Quilcapampa. A Wari Enclave in Southern Peru. University Press of Florida (https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813066783).
However, my study only deals with the rock art at Quilcapampa, which was discussed in their Chapter 3: “Making Quilcapampa: Trails, Petroglyphs, and the Creation of a Moving Place”, written by Stephen Berquist, Felipe Gonzalez-Macqueen and Justin Jennings.
Besides more general remarks about Quilcapampa rock art, I also focus on specific types of Quilcapampa petroglyphs in my book, like the “Carcancha”, the Quilcapampa Abstract Anthropomorph and in particular on the “Trophy” Head, for which I propose a purpose that differs from the generally accepted theory. The findings of the PIAQ regarding the Plaza at Quilcapampa Settlement (discussed in their Chapter 4) seem confirm my theories that Quilcapampa rock art is firmly related with Apu Ampato.
... As most anthropomorphic figures in the rock art of the Desert Andes (the extremely dry coastal zone just west of the High Andes in South America) are unsexed (Van Hoek 2012), it is particularly difficult to tell whether such a figure depicts a female or a male individual. Moreover, in apparently sexed images a short, single line between the legs of an anthropomorphic figure only seemingly indicates male sex. ...
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.
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.
My paper describes the images on a boulder that has one of the most complex biomorphic petroglyphs in the Majes Valley and in Arequipa rock art. It may well be death-related, as will be demonstrated. Another death-related petroglyph on an adjoining panel definitely links the boulder - and the whole site - with Apu Coropuna, the most Sacred Mountain of the whole of southern Peru.
My latest book about Arequipa rock art (Peru) exclusively deals with the icon of the enigmatic Majes “Dancer”, which proves to have an unexpected limited distribution, yet appears in large numbers and endless varieties. The book has 71 pages, more than 22.000 words, 61 numbered illustrations, an Appendix with 12 illustrations (a total of 123 illustrations) and a list of references.
This study investigates the possibility whether rock art images in the Majes Valley of southern Peru indeed depict weapons or conflicts between humans. The bio-archaeological excavations and research at Uraca (Majes Valley) by Beth Scaffidi and Tiffiny Tung suggest that the rock art of especially neighbouring Toro Muerto conveys a preoccupation with violence (Scaffidi and Tung 2020). However, the current study demonstrates that there is not any proof or any convincing graphical context confirming “violent events in nearby petroglyphs”.
Besides a tour along the many examples of polycephalic biomorphs found at rock art sites across the globe, the book also offers a special Case Study involving a most specific bicephalic anthropomorphic figure from the west of North America. The book has 147 pages, including an extensive list of references and list of Figures (plus the full captions). Included are 120 numbered illustrations (colour photographs and drawings) comprising altogether 350+ illustrated examples of petroglyphs, pictographs (and even a few geoglyphs) that seem to involve polycephaly. Several other rock art examples are only mentioned; not illustrated.
This book deals with a group of valleys in the Department of Arequipa: from Caravelí to Vítor. The book (156 pages in English with 105 numbered illustrations [and many more]) - called Formative Period Rock Art in Arequipa, Peru. An up-dated analysis of the rock art from Caravelí to Vítor - offers many, previously unpublished illustrations of rock art panels that prove beyond any doubt that there certainly is a much larger amount of Formative Period rock art imagery in this area than previously accepted, including more MSC-Style petroglyphs. The book also discusses and rejects the authority of the purported Siguas Culture, as I argue that this specific, individual culture never existed. An important but still modest role in the creation of the many rock art layers in the Study Area is by the Paracas Culture, while the Wari Culture has had only very, very little impact. Finally, the study offers a tentative, up-dated Time Scale for especially the rock art of the Majes Valley. I hope that this up-date will be useful to a large number of rock art researchers in Peru and outside Peru.
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Este libro trata de un grupo de valles en el Departamento de Arequipa: de Caravelí a Vítor. El libro (156 páginas en inglés con 105 ilustraciones numeradas [y muchas más]) - llamado Formative Period Rock Art in Arequipa, Peru. An up-dated analysis of the rock art from Caravelí to Vítor - ofrece muchas ilustraciones inéditas de paneles de arte rupestre que demuestran más allá de toda duda que ciertamente hay una cantidad mucho mayor de imágenes rupestres de Período Formativo en esta área que antes se aceptan, incluyendo más petroglifos al Estilo-MSC. El libro también discute y rechaza la autoridad de la supuesta Cultura Siguas, ya que sostengo que esta cultura individual específica nunca existió. Un papel importante pero aún modesto en la creación de las muchas manifestiones de arte rupestre en el área de estudio es por la Cultura Paracas, mientras que la Cultura Wari sólo ha tenido muy, muy poco impacto. Finalmente, el estudio ofrece una escala temporal tentativa y actualizada para especialmente el arte rupestre del Valle de Majes. Espero que esta actualización sea útil para un gran número de investigadores del arte rupestre en Perú y fuera del Perú.
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