The Capybara Mountains National Park is a popular tourist destination in Brazil, especially for those interested in history and archaeology. Here we leave you some things you can do and visit in the park.
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What is its importance?
The Capybara Mountains National Park (Serra da Capivara) is a concentration of archaeological sites, with cave paintings and ancient human presence.
Located in the southeast of the State of Piauí (Brazil), in a region with a semi-arid climate, border between two large geological formations: the Maranhão-Piauí sedimentary basin and the peripheral depression of the São Francisco River, its relief is made up of mountain ranges, valleys and plains.
The city of San Raimundo Nonato is the closest urban center, and is home to the Museum of the American Man, where the discoveries of the area are exhibited.
In 1991, UNESCO inscribed the place on the list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Guided tours of the Pedra Furada cave
A cave with rock art sculpted and engraved inside, impressive to visit and observe the landscape from there.
The Pleistocene site of Vale da Pedra Furada (Piauí, Brazil), excavated by the Franco-Brazilian Mission of Piauí since 2011, provides important results on the first human occupations of South America.
The site is known to contain archaeological evidence of human occupation between 40,000 and 5,000 years BP (before present).
See the cave paintings
The Baixão da Pedra Furada Circuit is a route that you can do in one day and begins at the east entrance of the park, with access via BR-020, passing through the Mocó site, where there are bathrooms, cafes and even camping.
Visit the Museum of the American Man
It is a space for the conservation and dissemination of the prehistoric anthropological heritage of the park and said region. It is located within the headquarters of the Museum of American Man Foundation (FUMDHAM), which is responsible for the museum and created from a cooperation between Brazilian and French scientists who have been working in the region since 1973. There are displays of ancient artifacts and tools, as well as a section dedicated to cave paintings.
The first Americans
The Vale da Pedra Furada site provides important results on the first human occupations of South America. The discoveries of Monte Verde (Chile, Puerto Montt) and other anthropological sites such as Piedra Museo (Argentina, Santa Cruz), have completely rethought the predominant theory on the settlement of America (late settlement theory) founded on the Clovis Culture, which maintains that humans entered the American continent approximately 13,500 years ago, and have given rise to the new theory of the early settlement of America.
You also can visit…
Observation of fauna and flora
The park has rich biodiversity and is home to many species of animals and plants. If you like photography, the park gives you treasures of nature at every step. In the images that follow: a Surucuá aurora (Trogon curucui), Cat’s Tail Cactus (Cleistocactus winteri).
FAQs
When should you visit the Sierra de la Capibara National Park?
The park can be visited all year round.; In the dry season the days are better used (but the sun increases the sensation of heat). The dry season runs from May to October. Winter, theoretically rainy, runs from November to April.
The Sierra de la Capibara National Park is an exciting tourist destination for anyone interested in history and archeology, as well as nature and hiking. Enjoy your visit!
