One of the most enigmatic places on the Earth, South America has captivated researchers for centuries. Its very core is the vast Amazon rainforest, an ancient and almost endless expanse of dense nature that is teeming with unexplored regions and hidden treasures. The Amazon is home to numerous native tribes , some of which remain isolated to this day, living their ancient paleo lifestyles undisturbed.
Due to the sheer size of the Amazon, many of its more remote regions have never been explored, and out-of-place structures and ancient remains are still hidden in its faraway corners. One such odd spot is the so-called Harakbut Face, a large and finely detailed human face seemingly carved from a rock overhang. Located deep in the secluded Peruvian Amazon, it is revered by the Harakbut tribe of natives. But is it a natural phenomenon or a man-made monument? Will it be able to survive the encroaching hand of civilization?
Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Harakbut Face
The Harakbut Face, known by the native Harakbut tribesmen as the Rostro, which means face, is located in Peru’s Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. This vast area is situated in the southern Amazon region of Peru, and encompasses a region of 402,335.62 hectares (994,192 ac.). Located in the Madre des Dios region, the reserve takes up a great part of the ancestral homeland of the Harakbut tribe.
The Amarakaeri Communal Reserve was created in 2002, after repeated demands by the local tribes which include the Harakbut, Yine, and Matsiguenka indigenous peoples. As such, it is an area of significant historical importance, and also a natural region that is coming under a growing threat from rampant encroachment of industry. The communal reserve is under constant pressure from poaching, illegal fishing, rampant timber logging, gold mining, artifact plunder, and unplanned infrastructure projects.
Constant attempts to preserve their ancestral home and their traditional ways of life are undertaken by the Harakbut tribe. Also known as the Harakmbut, Harakmbet, and Arakmbut, these indigenous peoples of Peru are split into two distinct tribal groups – the Amarakaeri and the Huachipaeri. First contacted in the 1940s, this tribe is one of the oldest in the Madre Des Dios region. Today, the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve is their last refuge and there are only 5,000 of them left.
Nevertheless, accompanied by twelve rangers from the National Service of Natural Protected Areas of Peru, they present a vigilant and devoted protective force against the many perils that threaten their ancestral home. They actively fight to patrol and protect an area of roughly 400,000 hectares (about 990,000 ac.) which is a significant feat for such a limited number of people.
Harakbut Warriors as Protectors of the Ancient Forests
It is estimated that this native tribe lived in the basins of the Colorado and Madre des Dios rivers for several thousand years, and numerous complex myths and legends have survived to this day. One mentions the Harakbut as the “Warrior People,” destined to protect the ancient forests of Amarakaeri.
Today, the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve is home to ten indigenous communities and is hailed as Peru’s most pristine environment in the Amazon rainforest . Still, due to the sheer size of these regions, illegal activities continue to be a constant threat. Even though the Harakbut tribe received land titles from the state in 1977, the nation still allowed over eighteen mining concessions on their territory.
These mining operations and illegal logging are leaving the rainforest severely wounded, with thousands of hectares of precious trees lost forever. These devoted tribesmen are fighting to put an end to the spread of these industrial activities, which could in time threaten their ancient sacred places, the so-called amana. The amana dot the reserve as a testament to the centuries old habitation by the Harakbut. Certainly one of the most famous of the amana is El Rostro – the Harakbut Face.
El Rostro and Its Sacred Significance for the Harakbut Tribe
Allegedly there are several of these big heads spread over the vast Harakbut territory, but El Rostro remains the iconic one. Located in a remote area of the rainforest, it is difficult to reach, requiring a challenging trek. But the sight of this incredible structure is a reward in itself. Perched over a wild and rapid flowing Amazonian river, emerging from the dense foliage, is an oddly realistic human face, its sharp lines jutting from the cliff face.
This sacred location is made from sedimentary rock, aged and covered by a thin layer of bright green moss. One glance – both from profile and front – is enough to let you know that it is, without mistake, a human face peering towards the jungle. A sharp, aquiline nose with oddly straight and precise lines, combined with the jutting brow and a prominent under bite lower jaw, all portray a serious and powerful male figure, akin to a great god, a tribal chieftain, or a venerated ancestor.
Is It a Man-Made Megalith or a Natural Phenomenon?
Among the Harakbut, this location is utterly sacred. Agreed that it represents their most distant ancestor, these rock faces are said to be created by Toto, a powerful primordial spirit. However, whether or not this face is a man-made object remains debatable. Important research that was conducted on site can imply that this is in fact a lithological structure, a clear result of geomorphological processes. This again points us towards the widespread phenomena of pareidolia, through which the human eye often spots familiar symbols and shapes from natural objects and things.
If this is in fact a fully natural creation, it is unmistakably lifelike and nature really outdid itself. But some staunch believers can still adhere to the claim that the Harakbut face is made by ancient man. If we are to question this claim, we need to ask ourselves one simple question: Why here? The face is situated in a very remote part of the Amazon rainforest , hard to reach and seemingly overlooking nothing of importance.
Most manmade megalithic structures are often placed at locations with significance, either in correlation with the stars, celestial objects, or as part of vast funerary complexes. It seems that the Harakbut face doesn’t fit the pattern. Could it be that the ancient inhabitants of this region of the Amazon rainforest simply discovered this oddly symbolic natural rock formation, and have revered it ever since?
Recent Pilgrimage to Rediscover Remote Harakbut Face
In fact, the Harakbut Face is so remote, that many of these tribesmen never even saw it. Its existence was for a time semi-legendary, passed from generation to generation. It was mentioned as the sacred ritual site of the tribe, a remnant of their most ancient predecessors and part of their mythology. And if we take into consideration the fact that the Harakbut have no written history, and that it is a chief part of their oral tradition, it can be clearly understood that the Harakbut Face has great significance to them.
This importance, bolstered by the growing threat of the industrial operations in its vicinity, prompted several Harakbut tribesmen and leaders to embark on a sort of “pilgrimage” deep into the rainforest in search of the rock Face. This was not the first such expedition, but certainly the first in recent years. Harakbut leaders Korisepa Jaime and Tayori Luis, along others, were accompanied by the filmmaker from the United Kingdom, Paul Redman, who documented the whole experience, and a United States Rainforest Foundation official, Tom Bewick. The expedition was dubbed as the “rediscovery” of the ancient Harakbut Face and, as Luis Tayori put it, “a reunion with [our] ancestors.”
Can Nature Really Carve Something So Precise?
This powerful claim comes from a man who got to see this unique monument in person, and the effect it left on him is clear from his quote. Numerous photographs from different angles can still give an important insight into the nature of the Harakbut Face. The lines just below the nose are extremely precise, as if carved with great precision, as are those below the protruding brow ridge. Just below it is a prominent cheekbone, on both sides, and if it is natural, then it points to extreme coincidence.
Photographs from previous expeditions, from 2009 for example, show us the Harakbut Face when it was covered with a thin layer of moss, which gave it an even more humanlike appearance, softening the sharp edges of the rock and creating an unbelievably real human face of immense proportions. There is also a very distinct possibility that the original rock formation simply had enough basis for ancient indigenous peoples to work on it, refining the shape into a monumental human face.
Those who undertook that 2009 expedition claim that there are two more such faces in the region, and numerous archaeological remains, further deepening the mystery and the enigma of the Amazon rainforest.
Guardians of the Amazon at War with the Oil Industry
Sadly, many of these previous expeditions were undertaken for completely different reasons, with no interest in El Rostro . In 2009, the region was subject to an exploration expedition by men of the Hunt Oil Company. Seemingly, the company officials were aware of the importance of such a discovery, and actively attempted to hide and downplay the find.
Diego Cortijo, an official of the Spanish Geographical Society who actively worked with Harakbut leaders in the region, went himself to discover the face after hearing so much about it from the tribesmen. His finds give us important clues about the location. Cortijo claims that the face could have Inca roots, as it features that well known presidential Incan profile and faces east towards Inti, the Sun God of the Inca. Furthermore, he claims that in the vicinity discoveries of ancient tools were made, furthering the possibility of human involvement.
Sadly, the Harakbut Face faces an uncertain destiny. Large corporations – chiefly Hunt Oil – don’t care about the ancient past, about nature, or even about indigenous peoples. What they do care about is money. And this area of the Amazonian rainforest lies on a lot of money in various forms. The Hunt Oil Company is one of the largest privately owned companies in the United States. Long having its eye on this particular region, mainly due to its wealth of natural resources such as gas and oil, Hunt Oil conducted numerous geological surveys, geomagnetic measurements, scans, and so on in the area.
In 2006 the oil company signed a contract with the Peruvian government which allowed it to operate in the region, which was soon followed by the very first drilling platforms. It is stated that Hunt Oil’s concession in the region, known as “Lot 76”, overlaps almost 80% of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, which Peru itself proclaimed as a protected natural area of great biological diversity. Hunt Oil’s activities are putting this area, and all the indigenous peoples living in it, in great danger. The Harakbut Face is also threatened. Numerous activists, tribesmen, and movements are fighting to put a stop to Hunt Oil’s activities – but seemingly with limited success. Such is the fate of our world.
The Mighty Amazon: Last Refuge of Eternal Nature
Fighting the ever-encroaching tides of the modern world seems to be an impossible task. Large industrial companies, with Hunt Oil being an obvious example, are just like enormous monsters, made from naphtha or oil, whose oozing poison engulfs the very last bastions of untouched nature on Earth. The Amazon rainforest releases an approximate 20 billion tons of moisture into the atmosphere every day . It also holds a record in biodiversity. Anywhere from 40 to 100 species of tree can be found on 1 hectare (2.47 ac.) plot of land in the rainforest. It is also home to some 80,000 plant species, from which more than half play a critical role in regulating the global climate and sustaining local water cycles. Now is the time for us to ask ourselves: Shall we stand by and watch it be destroyed by money-craving oil companies?
