El Vallecito
Archeological site
El Vallecito
In rocky shelters of the Sierra de Juárez, there are numerous examples of cave paintings: geometric figures, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic designs appear on the walls. During the winter solstice, a ray of light enters the cave and lights up the eyes of an image known as El Diablito (Little Devil).
The El Vallecito (“The Little Valley”) archeological site has caught the attention and awoken the interest of generations of ordinary people and researchers, who have visited it since at least the early twentieth century. It is the most northerly site that is open to the public in Mexico. Comprising 23 sites in total, it is famous for the cave paintings in the five rocky shelters that can be visited today, known as El Tiburón (“The Shark”), El Diablito (“The Little Devil”), El Hombre Enraizado (“The Rooted Man”), La Cueva del Indio (“The Indian’s Cave”) and Solecitos (“Little Suns”).
It was during the 1960s and 1970s that archeologist Ken Hedges, from the San Diego Museum of Man, California, introduced the scientific community and the world to the archaeo-astronomical phenomenon which occurs at the El Diablito site every December 21, during the winter solstice. When the sun emerges over the horizon, light pours into the cave and, minute by minute, clearly illuminates the pictorial motifs which are found there, finally converging in the center of El Diablito. Subsequently, the beams recede in almost the same way they came in, until the direct sunlight disappears almost an hour and a half after it began.
Given this background, other sites with cave paintings in the area began to be monitored from 2013, when the El Vallecito Archeological Project began, in order to determine if the El Diablito phenomenon only occurred there. However, for this task, it was important to first specify what an archaeo-astronomical site is. According to the archeologist Antonio Porcayo, it was defined as “a rocky cave or shelter with displays of cave paintings, where the equinoctial and solstice events are reflected at a certain time of day directly by sunlight, and indirectly by the play of the resulting shadows. This allows us to assume that this association (paintings and sunlight) was a result of a deliberate decision by their creators with unquestionable knowledge of the solar cycle, for different ritual, religious or other purposes. An archeological site with cave paintings which does not meet these conditions is not an archaeo-astronomical site.”
Therefore, since 2014, the archeologist José Aguilar from San Diego City College, a contributor on archaeo-astronomical observations to the El Vallecito Archeological Project, has come to monitor the solar event that marks the change of each season at the site named El Hombre en el Cuadro (“The Man in the Painting”). Although it is not yet open to the public, it has already been proven that, like El Diablito, it is an archaeo-astronomical site as the winter solstice and autumn equinox events are reflected directly, and the spring equinox indirectly.
Research continues in El Vallecito and it is very probable that, besides El Diablito and El Hombre en el Cuadro, some of the other 23 sites which display cave art will also be shown to have an astronomical connection.
- Dirección del Centro INAHJaime Velez Storeyjaime_velez@inah.gob.mx+52 (646) 178 2531Administración del Centro INAHDaniel Aguilar Hernándezdaniel_aguilar@inah.gob.mx+52 (686) 552 3592
El Tiburón
Named after the shape of the granite shelter, which resembles the head of a shark. In its interior a figure in the form of a butterfly in flight stands out accompanied by other geometric traces.
El Tiburón
Named after the shape of the granite shelter, which resembles the head of a shark. In its interior a figure in the form of a butterfly in flight stands out accompanied by other geometric traces. Around it there are several mortars of different depths and diameters, made in the fixed rock, which were used by the kumiai to grind seeds such as pine nuts and acorns.
El Diablito o del Solsticio
It is one of the most important rocky shelters of the site, and perhaps of the northern zone of the entity, due to its archaeoastronomical value.
El Diablito o del Solsticio
It is one of the most important rocky shelters of the site, and perhaps of the northern zone of the entity, due to its archaeoastronomical value. During the first minutes of the winter solstice -which varies between December 21 and 22-, a ray of sunlight penetrates the enclosure and touches an edge of the place, which deflects the light at the height of the eyes of an anthropomorphic figure of red color and with two small “horns” on the head. Hence the name El Diablito. This one is illuminated completely as the solar rays enter the shelter and the ray of light goes crossing the figure and other pictorial motifs from top to bottom, as the sun rises in the horizon. It is a morning phenomenon also known as a solstice marker, since it signals the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere.
El Hombre Enraizado
It is a small accumulation of rocks conformed by two panels, in whose interior figures were painted in white color.
El Hombre Enraizado
It is a small accumulation of rocks conformed by two panels, in whose interior figures were painted in white color.
In the north panel it has a geometric motif with five lines finished in circular points of flat ink. In the south panel it is observed, in a small hollow, an anthropomorphic figure with the representation of forms that seem roots or prolongation of the members downwards.
La Cueva del Indio o El Hongo
It is a large granite dome in the shape of a mushroom, whose north and south walls contain pictographs. This particular complex must have been very important for its settlers, since numerous mortars, metates, ceramic material and lithic debris, product of the elaboration of tools, were found.
La Cueva del Indio o El Hongo
It is a large granite dome in the shape of a mushroom, whose north and south walls contain pictographs. This particular complex must have been very important for its settlers, since numerous mortars, metates, ceramic material and lithic debris, product of the elaboration of tools, were found. In the North Panel there is a great amount of images; the predominant colors are red, white and black. It presents a sequence of superposition of motifs in which several anthropomorphic figures stand out (one of them measures more than 1.20 m, perhaps the only ones of its kind for this area), many concentric circles, an alignment of small stripes that extend along the entire edge of the ceiling and some stains. In the South Panel the motifs predominate in white and some in red, anthropomorphic figures (very probably female) very schematic and with three heads, in addition to circles and other geometric figures; the silhouettes are made in outline.
Los Solecitos
In the Kumiai language it is known as Wittinñur, which in Spanish means “painted rock”. Here we find a great variety of representations in different shades of red and black, some of which follow the topography of the rock.
Los Solecitos
In the Kumiai language it is known as Wittinñur, which in Spanish means “painted rock”. Here we find a great variety of representations in different shades of red and black, some of which follow the topography of the rock. The motifs are small stripes, sun-like drawings, complex circles and some small anthropomorphic figures that do not exceed 20 cm. This granitic dome rests on another one that has more than a dozen mortars. There are also others with small depressions or dimples on the surface that perhaps had a ritual function.
