Cavernas do Peruaçu
Brazil · Americas · ✦ UNESCO World Heritage Site
Painted canyons above one of the planet's great cave systems, lit through the Janelão's stone windows
Age
Up to ~11,000 yrs
Period
Archaic to Agroceramic traditions
Setting
Cave
Art form
Paintings
Discovered
1999
Status
Open (Guided Routes)
The Peruaçu river cuts a canyon of colossal caverns through the limestone of Minas Gerais — Gruta do Janelão’s skylit halls hold some of the world’s tallest stalactites — and on cave walls and shelter faces, peoples of the last eleven millennia painted geometric lattices, animals and plants in red, yellow and black. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025.
Gallery
Notable Features
- ◦ Gruta do Janelão
- ◦ Painted panels of the canyon shelters
- ◦ Giant stalactites and skylights
Depicted Subjects
Geometric PatternsAnimalsFishAnthropomorphs
Plan a Visit
AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.