TOCAPALA MAN: DISCOVERY, CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The h or mber of Toquepala is the generic name used to designate the painter or group of oldest cave painters of Peru. The works were found in the Toquepala Cave (or Tokepala), also known as Devil's Cave, which is located at 2,700 meters above sea level in the Tacna region, in the extreme south of the Republic of Peru.

Experts estimate that the cave painting of the Toquepala man dates back more than 10,000 years, and the cave is considered the most important gallery of Paleolithic paintings in the Peruvian nation. In 1960, the Croatian archaeologist Miomir Bojovich (1922-2013) discovered and explored it for the first time.

Rock paintings of the Toquepala caves, with an antiquity of about 9000 years.

Regarding the images, they show hunting scenes or “chaku” (Quechua word that means capture of vicuñas). You can also see lithic instruments (carved in stone) dating from approximately 7,600 BC Archaeologists affirm that rituals were performed in that cave to attract success in hunting.

In addition, they assure that this type of ritual was representative of the esoteric thinking of the Palaeolithic hunters. Thus, the Toquepala cave finds help place Toquepala man around that period. Both the cave and its paintings were declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2004.

Discovery

The notion of the Toquepala man arose with the discovery of the cave, which is located near an important copper mining site. The mine has been exploited since 1955 by the Southern Peru Copper Corporation. Therefore, some versions indicate that it was discovered by mine workers at the end of the 1950s.

These same unofficial versions indicate that the first surveys could have been carried out by employees of this company. However, official versions indicate that the discoverer was Miomir Bojovich. Later, the also archaeologists Emilio González and Jorge Muelle made formal studies starting in 1963.

Characteristics of the Toquepala man

In reality, very little is known about the characteristics of the Toquepala man. However, through the images captured in the caves certain conjectures can be made.

Ceremonial rites and hunting style

The central theme of the paintings of the Toquepala man is that of hunting. Consequently, specialists do not rule out the possibility that this cave was a place where shamans performed rites and ceremonies related to this activity. For them, these paintings had a magical character and corresponded to propitiatory rites.

In their opinion, the drawings were a sample of what they call analogy magic. According to this idea, the aborigines believed that the image was not only a representation, but the animal itself, which by magic would die from the same wound represented in the painting.

Furthermore, the researchers claim that the Toquepala Man's paintings represent the hunting style of the time. Clearly, the practice of scaring, circling and harassing prey can be identified. On the other hand, the associated human silhouettes have the characteristic of being in motion and most appear to carry weapons.

Although in various forms, none of the hunters' heads have distinctly human features. On the other hand, the representation of ears and muzzles of animals seems exaggerated. These two characteristics make specialists think that the images could reflect a mythological nature of the hunting activity.

Archaic hunting

The studies carried out by González and Muelle showed that the man from Toquepala could have been an archaic hunter of vicuñas and guanacos. The cave, on the other hand, may have been a temporary refuge and sanctuary for their religious ceremonies prior to hunting expeditions.

Discoveries in the cave indicated that this may have been a frequently followed hunting route. This is clear from the different layers of paint in the images and the different techniques used. On the other hand, the articles found in the cave were all related to hunting, which is why the cave is thought of as a pilgrimage site.

Painting technique

The colors used in the cave paintings were mostly red, green, yellow, and black, and the painted figures are estimated to number more than fifty.

They are grouped into six sectors throughout the cave. Unrelated scenes are clearly visible, which is indicative that they were added at different times.

All have a reduced size, no larger than 20 cm in the case of animal figures and no more than 10 cm for human figures. They are painted in different colors, which could correspond in the opinion of the experts, to separate moments in time. This separation could range from a few hours to several millennia.

The figures that seem to be the oldest painted in the cave correspond to those in red. They also present a different style to the rest of the figures. The animals are represented with elongated necks and entirely painted. Her thighs are represented thick and well drawn.

With regard to human figures, they are represented in an anthropomorphic way, the same color as that of the animals. The two legs are drawn with realism and their lower part is represented with a finer line. The feet are indicated by a small stripe and one leg is represented back, in a walking position.

Custom

The results of the investigations suggest that the Toquepala man was grouped into small groups of nomadic hunters and gatherers. As the seasons changed, they moved over familiar areas. They also took shelter in seasonal camps inside caves.

In this sense, the groups were conformed equally without formal leadership. Tasks were also distributed equally based on their abilities. It is believed that there could be a distribution of activities depending on sex and age.

The collective character of the property of things governed. Except perhaps tools, ornaments, or clothing, everything else was jointly owned. The accumulation of goods was not in their customs due to the limitation of the group's mobility. Similarly, warfare was rare.

On the other hand, the population density was low, between 0.3 and 0.03 people per km² approximately. This forced the groups to practice exchanging members.

In this way, among other things, proportions were harmonized between both sexes. Experts even think that they practiced exogamy (choosing a spouse outside of one's own group).

References

1. Peru.com. (s / f). Tacna and cave paintings of the Toquepala cave. Taken from peru.com.
2. The popular. (2013, April 30). Peruvian lithic period II. Taken from elpopular.pe.
3. Trade. (2014, May 31). The cave paintings of Toquepala in danger. Taken from elcomercio.pe.
4. Guffroy, J. (1999). The rock art of ancient Peru. Taken from horizon.documentation.ird.fr.
5. Mollejo, V. (2017, May 25). How did Paleolithic men live? Taken from okdiario.com.
6. Hernán, DG (2007). Universal history: XXI fundamental chapters. Madrid: Silex.