Piedras del Tunjo

The park holds a scatter of huge sandstone blocks that broke from a scarp and came to rest on what was the shore of a lake covering the savanna before it drained - people sheltered under the overhangs, and the rock faces carry paintings in red ochre and other pigments: geometric forms, frogs, human figures and patterns whose meanings are not established. Dating is uncertain but occupation of the savanna goes back over ten thousand years, and the site was in use long before the Muisca, whose territory it later was. It was declared a national monument in 1946. The park is used as a public recreation ground by Facatativa, with lawns and paths among the rocks, which sits awkwardly with the archaeology but keeps it in use.

What you actually see

• Enormous fallen sandstone blocks - on the shore of a drained lake.
• Red ochre pictographs - geometric forms, frogs and figures.
• A national monument since 1946 - protecting the paintings.
• A public recreation ground - the park's other role.

When to go

Year round; weekdays are quieter. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Paintings are faint and some have been damaged by graffiti and weather. The park doubles as a municipal recreation area and is busy at weekends. Interpretation is limited. The meanings of the images are not known.

Nearby

Facatativa is adjacent; Bogota is east.