A group of mountaineers and researchers has documented a significant new rock art site at an elevation of 4,800 meters in the Huayhuash range of Peru. The paintings, created using red and white mineral pigments, depict large herds of extinct camelids and complex astronomical symbols, including what appears to be a representation of the Milky Way galaxy as a celestial river.
Carbon dating of organic binders in the paint indicates the gallery was created approximately 15,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest high-altitude art sites in the Americas. The discovery suggests that early hunter-gatherers in the Andes possessed a sophisticated understanding of seasonal star movements much earlier than previously believed.