El Bosque Petrificado Piedra Chamana (The Petrified Forest Piedra Chamana) is located in the northern Peruvian Andes near the village of Sexi. Trunks of ancient trees, fossilized after 39 million years, reveal the secrets of an extinct lowland forest. As visitors stand amidst the fossil woods, panoramic vistas of distant Andean ranges are visible across the horizon toward the Amazon River basin. At the rim of the Sexi Plateau, the landscape plunges into a valley comparable in depth to the American Grand Canyon as the Upper Chancay River flows 1700 m (5600 ft) below. The plateau itself reaches elevations between 2400-2600 m (7900-8500 ft) near the fossil site and hosts a variety of plants and animals adapted to its seasonally dry climate.  Cultural traditions unique to this part of northern Peru include weavings done in the colonial style and hats crocheted from wool. The community of Sexi, with a population of around 450, welcomes visitors to come and experience its fossil resources and culture.

Click on the following images to learn more about Sexi and the petrified forest.

Peruvian law provides for the conservation and protection of the petrified forest.  The fossils are part of the Patrimony of the Nation and fall under the jurisdiction of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.  Fossil collecting is prohibited by law.