Serra da Capivara National Park

Serra da Capivara National Park is a protected area in the state of Piauí in northeastern Brazil, internationally recognised for its extensive prehistoric rock art and archaeological sites. The park holds one of the largest concentrations of painted rock shelters in the Americas and is important to studies of early human occupation in South America.

The thousands of paintings and engravings found on rock walls and in open shelters across a semi-arid caatinga landscape, as well as archaeological sites where researchers have documented long human use. Visitor routes access several rock-shelter groups and interpretive trails near the park’s visitor facilities.

Archaeological surveys and excavations have been carried out since the mid-20th century; the park was created to protect these cultural resources and to support research and conservation. It has become an important site for understanding prehistoric lifeways in the region.

The park lies inland in Piauí in northeastern Brazil, on eroded sandstone plateaus and valleys of the caatinga biome. Access is via regional roads from nearby towns and small cities serving the interior of Piauí.

• Access: Many sites are in remote, arid caatinga landscape; guided access and local visitor information are recommended to reach the principal rock art shelters safely.
• Conservation rules: The park is a protected area with important archaeological and paleontological deposits; avoid touching or disturbing rock art and excavation areas.

What to See #

• Rock art sites: A set of painted rock shelters and open-air panels spread across the park that contain the park's best-known prehistoric pictographs and motifs.
• Archaeological sites and research areas: An archaeological complex with excavation areas and research stations where the earliest human occupation evidence in the region has been studied.