Mexico

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco

WHS Score 2.72
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Votes 11 Average 3.18
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Votes for Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco

2.0

  • Lara Adler
  • ZCTLife

2.5

  • Clyde
  • Zoë Sheng

3.0

  • Els Slots
  • Mihai Dascalu

3.5

  • Alberto Rodriguez Gutierrez

4.0

  • Craig Harder
  • Roger Ourset
  • TimAllen

4.5

  • Stanislaw Warwas

The Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco comprises prehistoric rock art found in the harsh climate of Baja California, Mexico.

They are representations of what was once the life of the Cochimi or Guachimis, who lived relatively isolated and developed their own rock art tradition. The paintings were made on the roofs of rock shelters and on the walls of the Sierra de San Francisco mountain range. Around 250 rock art sites have been discovered, including huge panels, the so-called Great Murals.

Community Perspective: this large site is rarely visited. Els has described what a one-day-visit on a day tour involves and enjoyed the scenery the most, while Jarek visited 2 locations by rental car (getting his own permit).

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco (ID: 714)
Country
Mexico
Status
Inscribed 1993 Site history
History of Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco
1993: Revision
Following the recommendation of the Bureau, the original nomination of the mixed site of El Vizcaino (including the Sierra de San Francisco) was resubmitted as separate cultural and natural nominations.
1993: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • i
  • iii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Rock Art
Travel Information
Guided Tour Only
Guided Tour Only
You need to visit with a pre-arranged local guide, who also brings the keys …
Recent Connections
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Connections of Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco
Geography
  • Contiguous National Sites
    Is completely surrounded by the land area of the Vizcaino site but was extracted from that nomination at the evaluation/inscription stage "Following the recommendation of the Bureau, the original nomination of the mixed site of El Vizcaino was resubmitted as separate cultural and natural nominations" (Report of the 17th session of the WHC). Its evaluation document is however still titled "Vizcaino"!
Trivia
World Heritage Process
Human Activity
  • Hunter-gatherers
    The landscape of the area is another significant attribute, understood as the extensive physical space in which, through rock art, the thoughts of their early dwellers, hunter-gatherers people who (sic) living here from the terminal Pleistocene (10,000 BP) until the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in the late seventeenth century, are expressed. (official description)
  • Pictographs
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
Visiting conditions
  • No road access
    On foot or on horseback: "This trip is best suited for people who are active and in good physical shape. The hiking is on rough, uneven trails and the temperatures are often very warm. There is the option of riding horses instead of hiking as well."
  • Guided Tour Only
    You need to visit with a pre-arranged local guide, who also brings the keys to open the rock art sites as they are fenced.
News

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Community Reviews

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First published: 11/06/24.

Clyde

Rock Paintings Of The Sierra De San Francisco

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco (Inscribed)

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco by Clyde

I visited the Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in March 2024. Having already seen the El Raton replica paintings in the Anthropological Museum of Mexico City, and judging by their small size, limited quality and ease of accessibility, I opted to visit the El Palmarito Cave or Cueva Cuesta de Palmarito which involves arranging a trip with an experienced driver owning a suitable high clearance 4WD car (expect to pay 150-200 US dollars for the car and driver if you're alone), who in turn fixes a time with the site "ranger" to collect the entrance fee (around 500 pesos including entrance, camera fees and guide), who in turn sets up a local guide (one of the two available - a fit old former farmer who lives alone there or a younger ranchero proudly wearing his iconic hat) who accompanies you along the 1-1.5 hour trek (one way) and opens/locks the protective fence around the cave. Another advantage of organizing a trip with a driver is that he can take care of contacting the INAH office instead of you reporting at their office during their limited opening hours (frequently closed on weekends or during siesta times, so not very convenient if you're booked for a whale watching the day before!).

The Cuesta de Palmarito cave is located on one of the slopes that fall into the small valley of Santa Marta, where a very small "rancheria" community of herders/farmers is located. …

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First published: 19/04/24.

Jarek Pokrzywnicki

Rock Paintings Of The Sierra De San Francisco

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco (Inscribed)

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco by Jarek Pokrzywnicki

The Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco – sites visited in February, 2024.

As Els already described carefully the basics I will focus on updates. Before any visit to the site – you have to obtain a permit (A4 paper with names on it, visiting hours and guide name), pay entrance fee (also a ticket for camera) and arrange an official guide. Local INAH office is located in the center of San Ignacio (near the church, Museo INAH San Ignacio, Valdivia Peña, google coordinates 27.283319417059342, -112.89868613892016). The office is open every day (except Sundays) from 11.00 until 18.00) so you can arrange a visit returning from Laguna San Ignacio – whale watching, El Vizcaino). Currently there is a perfect asphalted road to El Raton (the road is not shown on official UNESCO map as it is new) but for Santa Martha you need a car with high clearance or even 4WD.

El Raton (Cueva del Raton) – located 82 km from central San Ignacio, use national Highway 1, direction Guerrero Negro, after 45 km turn to the right (sign for San Fco Sierra). Within next 10 km you already pass through inscribed property entering a mountainous area (no sign but according to an official map you are there). Landscapes are amazing – wide valleys, steep slopes with lots of cactuses, rocks. The site is located on the right side (signpost, small parking space, google coordinates 27°35'29.5"N 113°01'26.5"W) but usually you have to drive further (around one kilometre) …

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First published: 07/02/22.

Els Slots

Rock Paintings Of The Sierra De San Francisco

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco (Inscribed)

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco by Els Slots

The Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco have hardly been reviewed on this website so far, so let’s start with the basics. The included area is large (it’s even in the Top 20 of largest cultural WHS) and stretches out north of Mexico’s Highway #1 in Baja California Sur between San Ignacio and El Porvenir. It holds several hundred small groups of rock paintings and rock carvings. The area is remote and difficult to access: for a day trip you have the choice between Ratón (via San Francisco de la Sierra: needs 4WD, an only short climb up a staircase, small group of paintings) and Palmarito (via Santa Martha: car with good clearance needed, requires a 1.5-hour hike, rock face with abundant paintings). If you go by yourself, you need to report to the INAH office in San Ignacio beforehand to pay the entrance fee and they will let the local caretaker know that you’re coming and he will lead you to the site of the rock art. Multi-day trips that are offered by specialized outfitters use mules to trek to the even more isolated cave paintings, which are also said to be the best.

I choose Palmarito as the location for my visit. As I had only a rental car with fairly low clearance, I played it safe by hiring a 4WD with guide/driver to take me out there. It was arranged by the place where I was staying (Ignacio Springs B&B in San Ignacio) and …

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First published: 10/07/06.

Anonymous

Rock Paintings Of The Sierra De San Francisco

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco (Inscribed)

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco by Els Slots

We packed in for a camping trip with local guides, mules, and donkeys. The terrian is rugged and the views are out of this world. I managed to stay a day in a fresh water lagoon which I affectionitly call the viper pit. You do need a guide, and the hikes are always up, and the shade in the shelters are a great place to mediate and view the colorful panels. You could stay a week and still need more time. Try to visit when it is NOT summer.

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