The Petroglyphs on Ometepe

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Ometepe is famous for its rich pre-Columbian past and belongs to the great rock art areas of the world. All over the island ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) and stone statues have been found, other sites contain ceramic urns, pottery and utensils.
The early Indians considered the island of Ometepe as the promised land. The Maderas was the sacred place of the sun, while the Concepcion was the brother of the moon.

Archeologists call Ometepe the Island of Circles and Spirals due to the abstract curvilinear motifs carved on the basalt boulders.
Some motifs are highly stylized and intricately carved. The most common motif is the spiral.

Other motifs depict anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures, or animals like lizards, crocodiles, turtles and frogs.
Calendars were found on certain stones showing that the Indians knew 18 months, each with 20 days which made a year of 360 days. The oldest petroglyphs on Ometepe date back to around 1000 B.C.

Specific sites to see petroglyphs on Ometepe:

Petroglyphs and ancient pottery can be seen in many private houses, collections and hotels on Ometepe. Some of the best places to see petroglyphs in their original place are at Hotel Finca Porvenir, and on Finca Magdalena, both located in Balgue and Santa Cruz.
More petroglyphs can be found in San José de San Marcos, one of them depicting an eagle with opened wings. On the San Antonio farm, on a strip of land that juts into the Lake of Nicaragua, there are petroglyphs with circular, spiral, square and rectangular shapes. Others are found on the La Primavera farm, at the mouth of the Rio Buen Suceso. Near Cigüeña there is the Cross of the South on a medium size rock and nearby you find several images of animals. On the east coast of the Maderas cave paintings can be seen in Tichana, and more petroglyphs in Corazal.

Among the most important archeological sites are Tagüizapa and San Silvestre where four large stone idols have been found and many more may be buried in the ground.
In Altagracia the museum shows some nice sculptures and petroglyphs. More statues are found on the grounds of the old church. Also in Altagracia, in the Siloé Evangelic temple, is a stone engraved with an "X" and cross shapes. This stone was used by the natives for human sacrifices.

Many stone idols and petroglyphs have been carried away from Ometepe and are found in places like the Palacio Nacional and the museum in Managua, as well as in many other parts of the world.

An expert about the history of Ometepe is the historian and director of the museum in Altagracia: Manuel Hamilton Silva Monge.