One of the richest sites in rock art in South America is found in Toro Muerto, in southern Peru.

A unique aspect of the iconography of the petroglyphs at the site is the figures of dancing people, called “dancers”, which are often associated with geometric motifs, mainly variants of zigzag lines.

Building upon intriguing data recorded by Reichel-Dolmatoff during his research in Colombia related to the meaning of analogous motifs in Tukano art, as well as a broader exploration of sound in South American cultures and the thesis that Amazonian animism was a more archaic ontology in a wider area of South America, a recent study suggests that the geometric patterns at Toro Muerto, juxtaposed with the figures of dancers, may be representations of songs.

Toro Muerto. The red dots indicate the boulders with dancers, the yellow dots mark the boulders on which there are no dancers engraved and the green dot indicates the location of the TM 1219 boulder
Toro Muerto. The red dots indicate the boulders with dancers, the yellow dots mark the boulders on which there are no dancers engraved and the green dot indicates the location of the TM 1219 boulder. Credit: J.Z. Wołoszyn / Cambridge Archaeological Journal

An extension of this hypothesis is the suggestion that some of the more complex compositions composed of dancers and linear geometric motifs are graphic metaphors of the transfer to the other world.

These abstract or geometric motifs have always been among the most intriguing aspects of rock art iconography.

In Toro Muerto, the figures of dancers are repeated in an almost overwhelming manner, which is unique in the region. Additionally, there is an extraordinary accumulation of geometric patterns, often in the form of vertical zigzags, straight and wavy lines varying in width, sometimes with associated dots or circles.

TM 1309. Dancers associated with the set of vertical and sinusoidal lines
TM 1309. Dancers associated with the set of vertical and sinusoidal lines. Credit: A. Rozwadowski et al. / Cambridge Archaeological Journal

Significantly, the dancers are often juxtaposed with these geometric designs, not only individually but also in more complex arrangements.

This predominant association of anthropomorphic figures and geometric patterns cannot be considered incidental; perhaps it even constitutes the key to understanding the meaning and function of some of the petroglyphs at Toro Muerto.

Panel TM 1219 is particularly noteworthy, as its iconography subjectively gives the impression of an exceptionally coherent arrangement.

TM 1808. Juxtaposed dancers with vertical and zigzag lines
TM 1808. Juxtaposed dancers with vertical and zigzag lines. Credit: A. Rozwadowski / Cambridge Archaeological Journal

It presents a juxtaposition of vertical zigzags, linear and wavy patterns, in the center of which is a large dancer figure almost identical in size to the wavy lines accompanying it on both sides.

This scene bears striking similarities to the Tukano drawings recorded by Reichel-Dolmatoff, not only in terms of individual motifs but also in their arrangement.

The Tukano people saw them as representations of songs, and due to the recurrence of motifs and the repetition of their meanings, researchers suggest that the scene represents cosmological content, with all activities and phenomena related to accessing that content, that is, accessing the cosmos.

Boulder TM 1219
Boulder TM 1219. Credit: A. Rozwadowski et al. / Cambridge Archaeological Journal

The central dancer surrounded by wavy lines would actually be surrounded by songs, which – embodying energy and power at the same time – were the source of transfer to another world.

The entire scene could visualize a visionary journey, a transfer to another world – at the time of creation or an “illustration” of the origin myth – through graphic metaphors of contact with that world.

This interpretation sheds new light on the petroglyphs of Toro Muerto and opens space for discussion about the ontology and social context surrounding them. The researchers conclude that the zigzag lines could have represented songs and the geometric patterns symbolized the cosmos, giving new meaning to the ubiquitous dancers-geometry association at this important Peruvian archaeological site.

And they add that the interpretation we propose is, of course, hypothetical, but the conclusions it leads to constitute a logically coherent counterproposal to previous interpretations of some of the petroglyphs of Toro Muerto.

Sources

Rozwadowski A, Wołoszyn JZ. Dances with Zigzags in Toro Muerto, Peru: Geometric Petroglyphs as (Possible) Embodiments of Songs. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. Published online 2024:1-21. doi:10.1017/S0959774324000064

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