Lucky for us, Sucre boasts one of the world´s largest collections of dinosaur huellas (footprints) left in ancient mud, stumbled upon by industrious cement magnates.
Check out those eyebrows!
Reptile appreciation in full effect!
Long ago, there was a lake that was drying and a wide variety of critters romped around. Time passed, the topography changed radically, and the lake bottom was shoved up and sideways, leaving a broad vertical wall covered with dino tracks.
There are hundreds of tracks from hundreds of species. Some look like big round hippo prints, some almost like shoe prints, and some like bird claws, complete with scratches.
The drawback is that you view them from quite far away, across a gorge, so you may want to zoom in on the photo below.
Click to enlarge. Note how the tracks zig-zag all over the place
If you arrive in the right light, the sun lights up the tracks across this veritable prehistoric freeway.
These huellas are about six feet across
El Parque Cretacico is one of many examples of Bolivia´s economic contrasts. A twenty-minute bus or taxi ride outside of the city center takes you far from white-washed colonial adobes toward the much more impoverished campos. Pavement quickly runs out and life seems far more hand-to-mouth. Giant hairy pigs mingle with stray dogs, and homes look one rainstorm away from melting into the red earth below.
Then all of a sudden there is a modern, attractive museum with beautifully detailed replicas of species that have been found at the site. Way nicer, as we told the guide, than the similar places we´ve been in the U.S. No expense seems to have been spared (for instance, they repaint the dinosaurs every year!) and the soundtrack that plays while you walk around adds to the authenticity of the terrible lizard experience.
One odd thing, though, is that the cement plant continues to function and two big landslides have occurred in recent years, piling rubble against the wall and destroying some prints. They´re applying for UNESCO status; hopefully that will result in more preservation of this incredible site.
All told, the park rocked. As did our fourth anniversary. The internet suggests flowers or linen for such an occasion, but we were pretty happy with ancient critters.
So cool! now I'm a little sad that I never made it there. nice way to spend a wedding anniversary. much better than linen. we just celebrated our 2nd at Burma Superstar. -- Blake
ReplyDeleteLinen schminnen. But Burma Superstar, now you´re talking. Happy anniversary!
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