A team of archeologists discovered thousands of ancient paintings dating back to 12,500 years ago in the Colombian Amazon.

Called the "Sistine Chapel of the Ancients," it was found in the Serranía de la Lindosa, a remote part of the Amazon, and was a monumental discovery that was nearly an eight-mile stretch.

All That's Interesting said the art showed depictions of both humans and mysterious animals adorning steep cliff faces.

Observer said the area had been discovered a year ago by a team of British-Colombian researchers who were funded by the European Research Council.

The Sistine Chapel of the Ancients was first kept a secret from the public for the discoveries to be revealed on "Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon," a television series. But more information had already been reported by the press.

Sistine Chapel of the Ancients Depicts Long-Extinct Animals

Some reports claimed that the animals depicted in the Sistine Chapel of the Ancients were already extinct for a long time.

Some examples were a certain type of mastodons and palaeolamas. These animals were the prehistoric relatives of today's elephants and camels.

There were also countless other animals on the cliff face art like giant sloths, Ice Age-ear horses, and camelids.

The artworks were dated based on the variety of animals shown, particularly the mastodon. Researchers also believed that they were produced by Amazonian people.

There were countless handprints at the site, too, according to Daily Mail.

Artwork at Cliff Faces Will Take 'Generations' to Analyze

With the wide-scale and sheer volume of the artwork, The Guardian reported that the scale of paintings would take "generations" to study.

Many of the paintings were place so high up on the cliff faces that drones may be the best way to view them.

José Iriarte, a professor of archaeology at Exeter University and the group leader, told The Guardian that there were "several tens of thousands of paintings" to look at.

"Every turn you do, it's a new wall of paintings," he added.

Apart from the paintings' volume, the site is also so remote that it took experts two hours to reach Serranía de la Lindosa from Chiribiquete National Park and a four-hour hike to reach the paintings.

Sistine Chapel of the Ancients Offers Extensive Insight to History

According to All That's Interesting, regional natives of the Amazon didn't start making written records until fairly recently.

Amazon's humid climate and high acid levels in the soil also provide very little room for any tangible evidence, such as human remains.

Most of the region's history before the 15th century was only drawn from ceramics and arrowheads. So the complex discovery can provide academics with some valuable insights.

"The pictures are so natural and so well made that we have few doubts that you're looking at a horse, for example. The ice-age horse had a wild, heavy face," said Iriarte. "It's so detailed; we can even see the horse hair. It's fascinating."

Most of the Amazon's native tribes are believed to be from the first prehistoric migrants who crossed the Bering Land Bridge around 17,000 years ago.

The discovery may shed some light on the various aspects of their culture and contribute further to existing records.