Colombia has three major sites for those
interested in pre-conquest archaeological tours - Ciudad Perdida, San
Agustin and Tierradentro. There are also scatterings of other sites of
archaeological interest throughout the highlands and lowlands (sites in
the highlands are generally the best preserved. In addition, there are
numerous dinosaur fossils near Villa de Leiva and Guane (Santander).
Colombia's archaeological highlight are the
stone statues of San Agustin.
There are numerous stone statues that date back as far as 3000 BC,
though archaeologists have been able to discover very little about the
cultue that produced them - it's all a big mystery. There are about 20
archaeological sites to explore on a tour of the 2Vallrey of the
statues", which is often done on horseback.
The tombs at Tierradentro
are another archaeological highlight of Colombia. The archaeological
park has various tombs and funeral complexes that were produced as long
ago as the 6th Century AD - again, little is known about the
pre-colombian culture that produced them.
Those seeking adventure archaeological
tours, Indiana Jones style, should head to Ciudad Perdida ("the
Lost City"), in the north of Colombia. It's a five day hike through the
rainforest to ruins that were only rediscovered in 1975. The local
indigenous tribes claim they have known of the ruins for much longer
than that, but kept their existence a secret from the rest of the
world. It is belived that Ciudad Perdida was founded in 800 AD, and the
ruins consist of numerous terraces carved into the mountainside, tiled
roads and small plazas. As with all of Colombia's archaeological sites,
it's a mysterious and enchanting place to visit.
