Serra da Capivara National Park is one of the most amazing parks in Brazil. Rock art, archaeology, breathtaking views and wildlife. A secret gem in the northeast of Brazil.
6. The Capivara National Park is not just a major
concentration of archaeological sites but a spectacular
national park with a reception center for visitors.
Few prehistoric archaeological sites in the world can
offer anything remotely like it.
7. The earliest known evidence of people in the Americas
is here in the south-east of Piaui, Brazil. The park has
more rock art than anywhere else in the world, over
30,000 examples have been catalogued so far.
10. The oldest rock art here may date from 26,000BC,
which is around six time older than Stonehenge
and the Egyptian pyramids.
Most of the rock art dates from 10,000-4,000BC.
11. Research at the site is led by Dr. NiĂšde Guidon, one of
Brazil's leading archeologists. Her work challenges the
conventional wisdom that people only arrived in
North America 15,000 years ago.
12. Dr. NiĂšde Guidon is well-known and respected
for her championing of the preservation of
archeological sites in a society where their value is
not well understood.
In a state where some politicians seem to
become wealthy overnight and have endless funds
for their own projects, she appears to struggle to
get money to keep a project of international
significance functioning.
32. Serra da Capivara - Brazil
Serra da Capivara National Park was created to
preserve one of the worldâs largest archeological
treasures: thousands of pre-historic inscriptions from
six to 12 thousand years old, engraved on steep rock
walls.
The pictures portray the everyday aspects, the
dances, the regionâs ancient inhabitantsâ rites and
ceremonies, as well as pictures of animals, some of
which are extinct.
The relief seen today was formed about 240
million years ago.
33. Researchers found tools, pieces of ceramic
utensils and burial sites at the Serra da Capivara
excavations.
The cave pictures and the objects found can be
seen at some of the sites open for visitation, among the
744 existing sites in the Park.
34.
35.
36.
37. Today, Serra da Capivara National park is
administered by FUMDHAM â Museum of the
American Man Foundation, a private center, in
partnership with IBAMA â Brazilian Institute for the
Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.
It offers an excellent structure for visitation, with
delimited trails and specialized guides. The American
Man Museum is located in the city of SĂŁo Raimundo
Nonato, a few kilometers from there. It has a collection
that consists of pieces found in the archeological digs in
the Park.
38. The fauna and flora are very rich and typical
representations of the regionâs stunted
vegetation, where the climate is semi-arid (the
âcaatingaâ). During the rainy months â between
December and May â the vegetation, that seems
poor during the dry season, flourishes.
Spotted leopards, armadillos, guinea
pigs, crested
seriemas, wildcats, margays, serpents, and bats live
harmoniously with cereus, cacti, jujubes, and
pepper trees. More than 200 species of birds have
already been catalogued.
39. You can visit the Park throughout the year, from
6 AM to 6 PM. The biggest concentration of visitors is
during the dry season months â between June and
December â when visiting conditions and local fauna
observation are better.
It is mandatory to hire a certified guide, and it is
advisable to take caps, solar protection and water.
40.
41. Refer to Trilhas da Capivara Travel Agency.
They can pick you up at Petrolina airport.
42. Basic information
âą Climate: The regionâs climate is semi-arid. It
rains between December and May. The dry
season lasts from June to December.
âą Distances
âą To the city of SĂŁo Raimundo Nonato, state of
Piaui: 30 km
âą To the city of Petrolina (State of Pernambuco,
nearest airport): 270 km
âą To the state capital Teresina: 510 km
43. How to get there
âą By Air. Petrolina airport in the state of Pernambuco,
270 km from the Park, receives regular flights from
many cities in Brazil.
âą By Highway: Take BR-343 to the city of Floriano, then
PI-140 to SĂŁo Raimundo Nonato. Another option for
those coming from the South of the country is
through Petrolina/PE, which is 300 km from SĂŁo
Raimundo Nonato.
46. References and further information
In English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serra_da_Capivara_National_Park
http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/chapter54/text-PedraFurada/text-
PedraFurada.htm
http://sites.google.com/site/piauibrazil/serra-da-capivara
http://www.brasilcontact.com/travel/brazil_serraDaCapivara.html
http://www.globalrockart2009.com/principal_eng.html
In Portuguese
http://www.fumdham.org.br/index.html
http://www.saoraimundononato.pi.gov.br
http://www.ambiental.tur.br/index.asp