Engraved rocks of the Carapa

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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Carapa engraved rocks, located in Kourou, French Guiana, form a set of petroglyphs protected as historical monuments since 18 November 1993. These rock engravings, numbering more than 150, are distributed mainly on two nearby rocks, with a third group supposed to be nearby. Their existence, first mentioned on a cadastral plan of 1904, was fully recognized only in 1992, after sporadic reports in scientific literature, particularly in 1955.

Originally destroyed before their rediscovery, these engraved rocks were incorporated into the archaeological map in 1992. Their classification as a historical monument in 1993 allowed them to be preserved. The site, owned by the municipality of Kourou, is located at 21 Rue des Roches Graves. These petroglyphs, whose exact origin remains unknown, are evidence of an ancient pre-Columbian or Amerindian occupation in Guyana, although their precise dating is not mentioned in the available sources.

The location of the site, noted with satisfactory accuracy (level 7/10), is documented in the Merimée database under the code Insee 97304, attached to the town of Kourou. Archaeological investigations confirmed the concentration of engravings on two main rock blocks, without their exact meaning or function being clearly established in the source texts. Their legal protection makes it today a major cultural heritage of Guyana.

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