Pedra Furada

Pedra Furada (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɛdɾɐ fuˈɾadɐ], meaning pierced rock) is an important collection of over 800 archaeological sites in the state of Piauí, Brazil. These include hundreds of rock paintings dating from circa 12,000 years before present. More importantly, charcoal from very ancient fires and stone shards that may be interpreted as tools found at the location were dated from 48,000 to 32,000 years before present, suggesting the possibility of a human presence tens of thousand of years prior to the arrival of the Clovis people in North America (the latter dates are still under discussion, see Meltzer, 2021: 90-130).

In 1973, a Brazilian and French team excavating a site located in the southeastern portion of what is now the Serra da Capivara National Park discovered the first finds. Brazilian archaeologist Niède Guidon reported the discovery in 1986. In 1991, Pedra Furada became a World Heritage Site.

As of 2001, Guidon's findings were still considered controversial and not widely accepted by experts in the field.