Isla de Muerto

By Geoffrey McCafferty (2017)

Isla de Muerto is located off the northwest tip of Zapatera Island in Lake Cocibolca. It is famous for its petroglyphs, carved on large rock outcrops. It is nearly impossible to date petroglyphs other than using stylistic interpretations; some of the Isla de Muerto symbolism resembles Mixteca-Puebla iconography suggesting a Sapoa/Ometepe date (800-1550 CE), but this is speculative. The site is protected, but is accessible by boat and for a minimal charge. The rubbings are credited to Hiro Inamoto, who left copies at the site for visitors.

Figure 1: Zapatera Island with Isla de Muerto of northwest tip (From Bovallius 1886)

Figure 2: Students visiting the Isla de Muerto petroglyphs

Figure 3: Local boy wetting the petroglyphs to make them more visible

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Figure 6: Feathered serpent imagery

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Figure 16: Lower boulder with 'cut shell' motif