Mankind's Cultural Heritage in Brazil

Traveling to Serra da Capivara National Park is a historical and cultural trip

The state of Piauí keeps the Brazilian ancestors’ flame alive. In 1991, UNESCO enlisted the Serra da Capivara National Park as Humanity Cultural Heritage, because it houses the largest set of Rock Art on Earth, and vestiges of populations that occupied the southeast portion of Piaui since, at least, 50 thousand years ago. The reserve is administered through an agreement signed by the Public Power and the Museu do Homem Americano Foundation (Fumdham).

Paintings were made for millenniums, depicting the everyday life, ceremonials and animals - many of which now extinguished in the region. The Boqueirão da Pedra Furada Ranch is a true open air museum, housing the oldest and most important archeological site in the Americas.

When excavating the Serra da Capivara, researchers have found tools, remainders of pottery and burials. The surveys on the discoveries in that area led archeologists to believe that the American continent would have been inhabited over 30 thousand years ago – in opposition to the theories prevailing among researchers.

The city of São Raimundo Nonato – few kilometers away – houses the Museu do Homen Americano (American Man’s Museum), with a collection of pieces found during archeological explorations carried out in the area of the Park.

Fauna and flora are rich and representative of the caatinga region with semi-arid climate. Vegetation - that seems poor during the dry season – flourishes during the rainy season, from December to May. Ocelots, armadillos, rock cavies, seriemas, jaguars, wild cats, serpents and bats live among mandacaru, xique-xique, juazeiro and aroeira trees. Moreover, more than 200 bird species have been catalogued.

The Serra da Capivara National Park occupies 130 thousand hectares. It is located in the Southeast portion of Piauís state, near municipalities like Coronel José Dias, São Raimundo Nonato, São João do Piauí and João Costa.