A 39-year-old man from Los Villares in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia poured water on the paintings to get a clearer image for a Facebook post in May.
Spanish authorities say they are investigating the case of a man who destroyed ancient cave paintings in a mountain range in order to get a better photo for social media.
The country’s Guardia Civil said a 39-year-old man from Los Villares in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia poured water on the paintings to get a clearer image for a Facebook post, according to CNN and The Daily Beast. The paintings are located in the Sierra Sur de Jaén mountain range.
The investigation into whether the man committed a crime against historical heritage began in May when officials discovered the photos on the Internet, CNN reported.
The rock paintings are protected by a heritage registry and date back centuries, with some estimated to be over 6,000 years old, The Daily Beast reported.
The water poured onto the limestone walls could cause “irreparable damage” if the dissolving salts form a crust and rise to the surface when the liquid evaporates, according to the Guardia Civil.
Vandalism of ancient cave art in recent years
Vandalism is also not uncommon for ancient cave paintings. According to Spanish media outlet El País, Jaén has been affected by similar incidents in recent years. In 2022, a giant Spanish flag was spray-painted over a nearby cave painting, Gizmodo reported.
In southern Australia, a 22,000-year-old painting in Koonalda Cave was defaced with spray paint that same year. The graffiti was particularly devastating for the country’s indigenous Mirning community, as the painting was an important part of their culture.
In the United States, vandals damaged thousand-year-old Native American petroglyphs in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia in 2021, the U.S. Forest Service said.
More than 100 petroglyphs in the forest’s Track Rock Gap were created by Creek and Cherokee Indians and are over 1,000 years old. Damage includes scratching or painting over the petroglyphs.
Contributors: Christine Fernando
