Las Labradas, Petroglyphic site on the Pacific coast in San Ignacio Municipality, Mexico
Las Labradas is an archaeological site with hundreds of rock carvings on volcanic boulders directly along the Pacific coastline. The carvings cover nearly every stone along the shore and spread across a large section of this rocky beach.
These rock carvings were made between the 9th and 10th centuries by early inhabitants of the region. The site shows the artistic skills and ideas of a society that lived on this coast long before European contact.
The carved images show human figures, sea creatures, plants, and geometric shapes that represent what mattered in everyday and spiritual life long ago. You can still see these representations today on the dark stones along the shore and understand what ancient people wanted to record.
The best way to see the fine details carved into the dark volcanic rocks is to view them from different angles and use light and shadow to your advantage. A phone camera or device with zoom can help capture the subtler patterns that are otherwise hard to spot.
This location holds one of Mexico's largest collections of seaside carvings, with engravings on many hundreds of stones spread across several kilometers. Some visitors are surprised by how densely packed these carvings are and how varied the patterns are from stone to stone.
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