The paintings, drawn on a rock, depict a man and a cameloid in black and are located about 15 minutes walking distance from Machu Picchu. EFE / DIARIO EL COMERCIO

Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park director Fernando Astete told EFE that two new cave paintings were discovered near the iconic ruins in Peru.

The paintings, drawn on a rock, depict a man and a cameloid in black and are located about 15 minutes walking distance from Machu Picchu.

The paintings are similar to others already known near the Inca citadel that also represent men, alpacas and other creatures, painted in ocher and black colors, Astete said.

The two rock drawings may have been made in pre-Inca times, the Cuzco Cultural Department official said, adding that more study was needed to confirm this theory.

The paintings are not recorded in Hiram Bingham's findings, Astete said, referring to the American archaeologist who discovered the "Lost City of the Incas" in 1911.

Bingham concluded that Machu Picchu was the birthplace of the Inca empire or a fort where the last of the Inca warriors sought refuge during their struggle with Spanish conquistadors.