Serra da Capivara
Brazil · Americas · ✦ UNESCO World Heritage Site
30,000 paintings that may prove humans reached the Americas far earlier than anyone believed
Age
~25,000 yrs
Period
Late Pleistocene
Setting
Rock shelter
Art form
Paintings
Discovered
1963
Status
Open to Visitors
A UNESCO World Heritage site in the semi-arid northeast of Brazil containing over 30,000 rock paintings across 1,300 archaeological sites. If its oldest dates are confirmed, Serra da Capivara would push the human settlement of the Americas back by thousands of years, fundamentally challenging established migration models.
Gallery
Notable Features
- ◦ 30,000+ rock paintings
- ◦ 1,300 archaeological sites
- ◦ Challenges Americas settlement timeline
Depicted Subjects
DeerArmadillosRheasHuman FiguresHunting ScenesGeometric Patterns
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.