Volume 23, Number 1 Summer 1996 La Pintura The Official Newsletter of the American Rock Art Research Association Member of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations SIARB Issues Call for Preservation of Toro Muerto Petroglyphs in Matthias Strecker Secretary General, SIARB he Sociedad de Investigación del Arte Rupestre de Bolivia (SIARB) is submitting this text for publication in international journals and newsletters. We urge all of you to join us in this effort: Let’s Save Toro Muerto! In the opinion of Antonio Núñez Jiménez (author of 3 volumes on Peruvian rock art), the T petroglyphs of Toro Muerto, engraved on volcanic rocks in a desert region near the village of Coriri in Majes Valley (Prov. Castillo, Dept. Arequipa, Peru), constitute “the most noteworthy of all rock art sites in Peru.” The discoverer of this site, Eloy Linares Málaga, has named it “the largest site in the world.” While there may be other world contenders for this title, Toro Muerto really is an enormous locality with thousands of engravings in an area extending for 5 kilometers. Toro Muerto has been investigated since 1951 by E. Linares M. and researchers from , , , and other countries. It has been published in a number of books and articles (for example: Núñez Jiménez 1986 and Linares Málaga 1993).

About 15 years ago the Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig, who was at that time Director of the National Institute of Culture (Instituto Nacional de Cultura, INC), had a small house constructed at the access road to the site to control visitors. Unfortunately, “La Aguada,” vigilance at the site was later given up by the INC. On the Toro Muerto. —Continued on page 2 Drawing by Eloy Linares Málaga. 2 La Pintura Summer 1996 Toro Muerto Peruvian authorities, asking them to stop irrigation at Toro Muerto and to start definitive actions to protect this Continued from page 1 site: other hand, E. Linares M. initiated efforts to have Toro Excelentísimo Señor Presidente Constitucional Muerto declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. de la República del Perú Unfortunately, this extraordinary rock art site is in Ing. Don Alberto Fujimori F. great danger of being destroyed completely. A new Palacio de Gobierno settlement near the site, Candelaria, has begun irriga- Plaza de Armas, Lima tion of part of the zone. Moreover, an agreement exists Peru between the INC and the settlers which allows this Don Domingo Palermo Cabrejo activity. Besides, many engraved rocks have been af- Ministro de Educación fected by the extraction of stones for construction work Calle Vandelvene 160 or by vandalism. San Borja, Lima Peru Ing. Rodolfo Muñante S. Ministro de Agricultura Avda. Salaverry s/n San Borja, Lima Peru Fax: 011-51-14-365855 References Cited

Toro Muerto. Linares Málaga, Eloy Drawing by Eloy Linares Málaga. 1993 The largest site in the world: Toro Muerto (Peru). Inter- national Newsletter on Rock Art 6:25-27. In June 1996 E. Linares Málaga and Matthias Strecker Núñez Jiménez, Antonio (Secretary and Editor of the Bolivian Rock Art Research 1986 El libro de piedra de Toro Muerto. Havana, Cuba. Society, SIARB) visited Toro Muerto and offered a press conference in Arequipa. They suggest that the following measures be taken in order to save this rock art site: * Organization of a permanent exhibition on Toro Deadline Set for El Paso Muerto in the village of Coriri. * Publication of a flyer for tourists which explains the Conference Papers importance of these engravings. reparation of the El Paso Conference publication is * Action by the Peruvian Ministers of Education (head Pcurrently under way. Authors are reminded that the of the INC) and Agriculture to annul the agreement hard deadline for submission of manuscripts to the which allows irrigation of the zone. editor is October 15, 1996. Authors are asked to submit * Assignment of