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Patagonia cave paintings are earliest found in South America

Archaeologists have discovered the earliest dated cave paintings in South America in Argentine Patagonia, dating back 8,200 years. The 895 paintings were found by Argentine and Chilean archaeologists in the Huenul 1 cave, a 630 square meter rock shelter located in the province of Neuquen, some 1,100 km southwest of Buenos Aires. The discovery provides evidence of the artistic ability and cultural transmission of the hunter-gatherer societies.