To start, San Agustín is considered the world's largest necropolis, which means it is a massive funeral ground with elaborate tomb markings. It is an archeological park that represents one of the first pre-hispanic sculptural displays in northern South America. The complex funeral grounds, mounds, terraces, inhabited areas and farm areas, show off the incredible civilization of the groups that settled in the Alto (high) Magdalena region. With their incredible creations, these landscapes give us a rare window into a community that lived from 1 - 900 A.D.
Next, Tierradentro, or literally, "inside of the earth," is full of hypogeous, or underground tombs. Inside each of the tombs, behold your eyes on detailed cave paintings, large stone statues with faces, and even ancient human bones! Tierradentro is only a two-hour drive from San Agustín, and actually has archaeological links with the other areas of the Alto Magdalena. The hypogea in Tierradentro shows us impressive craftsmanship of the ancient villagers, but also the importance of death, and the powerful symbol it represented for them from 600 to 900 A.D.
San Agustín and Tierradentro are recognized in Colombia as astounding. In fact, the ancient relics have landed them spots on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list!
