ITATIAIA NATIONAL PARK, BRAZIL—Agência Brasil reports that ancient paintings were recently located in a cave in Itatiaia National Park in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Experts are currently working to determine their age and origins but believe that they may be 2,000 or 3,000 years old. The site is located in the Mantiqueira Mountains, a popular destination for hikers, but had somehow remained hidden until recently. “We were surprised to come across an entirely new site,” said archaeologist MaDu Gaspar “It’s not that similar sites don’t exist, they do, but nothing like this had ever been found in Rio de Janeiro. And it’s not hidden away at the top of a peak where only a few mountaineers go. It’s in an accessible area. How had no one seen it before? I’ve hiked there myself,” she added. Archaeologists have also found compelling evidence that the region was inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers and suggest that it is likely that other similar sites exist nearby as shelters and caves featuring rock art are rarely isolated instances. To read more about rock art in Brazil, go to "Artists of Dinosaur Valley," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2024.
