While at Santuario Nuestra Señora de las Lajas, take a hike down to what was certainly a holy site for the previous inhabitants of this region: Piedra de los Monos. Following a well-signed path from the Catholic sanctuary, along the Río Guáitra, you will arrive at these petroglyphs, or rock paintings, after three kilometers.

In crimson, white and shades of purple, the Pasto people decorated this rock overhang with zoo- and anthropomorphic figures, and their signature sun symbol. The entire “canvas” measures six meters by four meters. The age of these creations is not known.

Above, on the rim of this gorge, we can witness the ceremonies of the valley's modern inhabitants. But here, we can only speculate what types of rites the Pasto performed in some past.

Location:
Three kilometers from Santuario Nuestra Señora de las Lajas.
Ipiales, Colombia

Ruin

Getting There
Take public transport to Lajas village (see Santuario Nuestra Señora de las Lajas).

Price Description: No entry fee. Taxi to Lajas will cost about $1.60 round trip.

Relative price: Budget

Open Hours from:Dawn

Open Hours to:Dusk

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: A picnic lunch.

Santuario Nustra Señora de las Lajas.

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 07 Oct 2007

Updated: 18 May 2009

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