The National Park Serra da Capivara

The National Park Serra da Capivara is a park that is located in the Brazilian southeastern state of Piaui. It occupies areas of the municipalities of São Raimundo Nonato, Sao Joao do Piaui, Coronel José Dias and Corner Buriti. It has 129,140 hectares and is 214 km seuperímetro. It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).

Archaeological sites

Area of greatest concentration of prehistoric sites in the Americas and Cultural Heritage - UNESCO. Contains the greatest amount of primitive paintings on rock the world. Scientific studies confirm that the Serra da Capivara was densely populated in prehistoric periods. Artefacts found show the record of man 50,000 years ago.

The National Park Serra da Capivara is located in units of Brazil's Piauí state, the South has several archaeological sites and the Museum of the American Man.

There are currently 737 cataloged archaeological sites where they were found human skeletons, cave paintings with about 30,000 color pictures, which depict scenes of sex, dance, childbirth, among others.

Situated in a region of semi-arid frontier between two major formations - the sedimentary basin Maranhao-Piaui and peripheral depression of the Sao Francisco River - its topography consists of hills, valleys eplanícies. It is the only National Park area morphoclimatic dascaatingas, which highlights the need for conservation and restoration of flora. The park is home to flora and fauna específicas.Ao over 14 tracks and 64 archaeological sites open to visitors, find treasures, like the oldest pieces of pottery dasAméricas of 8960 years. In the circuit of Blue Fawn, we can find four sites with blue paintings, the first discovery of this color in the world.

Since colonization, the National Park Serra da Capivara was used by neighboring peoples who hunted them, they planted woody and removed. This population is extremely poor and have no source of employment, and exploitation of natural resources, lives in Permanent Preservation Area, a borderline ten miles wide.

Tourism

The main attraction of the park is the density and diversity of archaeological sites suffering from paintings and prehistoric rock carvings. Archaeological Park is a real one with such a wealth of cultural heritage which determined its inclusion in UNESCO Heritage List Mundialpela.

For millennia the walls were painted and the sites recorded by human groups with different cultural characteristics which are reflected in the choices graphics that appear on the sites. Visitors can observe today a final graphic product that has been done gradually and that his narrative evokes the facts of daily life and ceremonial life in prehistoric times.

The anthropological interest that is compounded by a rare beauty and artistic quality of works of similar traits despite the paintings of prehistoric caves of France and Spain, rock shelters of Australia, presents a typical profile, only the Northeast region do Brasil.