Maropeng turns 9!

“I would say to everyone, welcome home! This home, my home, your home, the Maropeng Visitor Centre, is an African monument to the wonder of the human species, in all its beauty and variety; in all its tragedy and glory; in all its wonder and complexity. It is a monument to the entire human race.” – President Thabo Mbeki, at the official opening of the Maropeng Visitor Centre, 7 December 2005

As origin stories go, Maropeng’s is an impressive one.

Even though the visitor centre itself turns just nine years old this year, it is the guardian of the most important origin story on Earth: the story of the human race.

The official visitor centre to the 47 000ha Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site was opened on 7 December 2005.

Over the past nine years it has distinguished itself, not only as a nexus for palaeontological research, but also as a key heritage destination for tourists from around the world.

The world-renowned Sterkfontein Caves are home to the oldest and most continuous palaeontological dig in the world. This was where the famous 2.3–million-year-old pre-human skull affectionately known as Mrs Ples was discovered, as well as an almost complete hominid skeleton called Little Foot – believed to be around 4.17-million years old.

Here are some key pieces of history that you can see when you visit Maropeng:

No one knows what still lies hidden in the rocks of the Sterkfontein Caves and other sites. The World Heritage Site status the area now enjoys ensures that what is deep within its core will be protected and explored forever.

In 2010 this effort to preserve the treasures buried in the Cradle paid off, with the discovery of a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba:

Former president, Nelson Mandela’s handprints, displayed under a 2009 quote from him: “It’s in your hands.”

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu made his mark on 31 July last 2013:

The number of visitors to the World Heritage Site has grown steadily over the past nine years. Last year more than 220 000 people visited.

The centre’s stature as a conference and eventing destination has also grown. This year, Maropeng was named the best four-star conferencing venue at the national Lilizela Tourism Awards, organised by South African Tourism.