Archeologists Investigate 50,000-Year-Old Brazilian Rock Art

Away from the sprawling megacities of Brazil, the state of Piauí feels like it's at the ends of the earth. Located in an arid zone of the northeast region, it has remained apart from the major economic and cultural changes in the rest of the country, and today it is one of the poorest states in Brazil. Yet it is here, in the heart of the Serra da Capivara National Park, that Paul Bond and Jean-Louis Lecalec, two archaeologists specialized in outdoor prehistoric art, have decided to investigate one of mankind's greatest, as well as most mysterious, prehistoric treasures. In the late 1970s, this is where, almost by chance, young Franco-Brazilian archaeologist Mied Guidon discovered rock paintings that had previously been unknown. A collection of unparalleled works within an area of nearly 130,000 hectares, which Paul and Jean-Louis are going to explore from one side to the other. It wasn't until the very end of the 20th century that the Piauí paintings revealed their first secrets. Secrets that completely rocked the scientific community. Today, Paul Bond and Jean-Louis Lecalec have journeyed to this remote region of Brazil in order to contribute to the debate that rages within the world of archaeology. Because if the Piauí paintings do turn out to be the oldest on the continent, the entire theory of the settlement of the Americas will be called into question. The site of Boqueirao de Pedro Ferrada, located near the park entrance, is where Paul and Jean-Louis have planned to meet Mied Guidon, the woman responsible for making this one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. Paul came here once before, 25 years ago, for his own research. But for Jean-Louis, it's the first time. Obviously, it's changed a lot since then. There weren't any of these buildings, cafes or souvenir shops. Back then, it was always a bit of an adventure just to get here. Today, Mied Guidon is 82 years old. And it was a local farmer from the region who, back in the late 70s, first showed her the sites. She's here. It's been 20 years. It's been a long time. The last time we saw each other was when you came to Cambridge. This is my friend Jean-Louis. Hello. It's really changed here. It sure has. Right. The only thing that hasn't is the Serra. That's the same. That hasn't changed. The Serra da Capivara is made up of unique geological formations, like this cliff, located only about 50 meters away from the One reason Mied wants to bring Paul and Jean-Louis here is the size and incredible wealth of the site. The Toca de Boquirao de Pedra Ferrada, a frieze nearly 70 meters long and 20 meters high. A vast stone screen that anonymous artists covered with signs, human and animal figures, and depictions of hunting and dancing scenes. Over 1,000 paintings for the archaeologist to study. It's superb. It really is superb. There we see lizards. Are those crabs over there with the claws? Crabs, yes. And there are crocodiles. It means an entire animal realm that's disappeared with a completely different climate from the one today. There are different colors and different styles too. There's the white crocodile to the left and the crab and then below it is a kind of figure. What's that with those lines? What could that be? There are human figures depicted like that. Those must have been people with masks for ceremonies. So how come, out of all the thousands of figures in the park and even just right here, why did you choose this painting as the emblem of the park? First of all, it's beautiful, but mainly it's symbolic. It's a mother protecting her young and that's how we ought to protect the park. In the painting used as the logo, the young animal between the big one's legs is in what we call a flying gallop with its front legs like this and its hind legs like that. Yes, that's right. In the Sahara, there are lots of depictions of chariots pulled by horses in flying gallop and a lot of people say that was characteristic of a period of rock painting in the Sahara. And here we find the flying gallop too. We also find it in the caves of Lascaux. It's everywhere actually. Yes, that's how animals run. It's how running is depicted. But the extraordinary find didn't stop with the discovery of the paintings. When excavating the ground beneath the walls, Nied Guidon's team found charcoal from an ancient prehistoric fire blended with fragments of paint, proof they date from the same time period. I took the charcoal to be dated in France. The result I was given was, I'm not sure exactly, something like 18,000 years. I said, listen, you must have got it mixed up because there's nothing that old in the Americas. But she told me that, yes, it was my sample and I should go back and continue the excavation. So we did and we expanded. And each time we found more remains, chiseled materials and structured hearths. So we started to expand and the excavation spread over this huge surface. We dug eight and a half meters down and found the base rock. And even there, we found hearths. We got datings up to 50,000 years. Yes, I remember very well how when you publish those first dates from here, it was like a bomb going off in the field of prehistory. The Americans said it was impossible because the Americas were settled by people passing through North America first, around 12,000 years ago. Until the discovery of Pedra Furada, specialists believe the oldest settlement of the American continent was found in North America. The first people in America were thought to have migrated from Asia, walking across the Bering Strait on an ice bridge around 13,000 years ago. They first set foot way up in the north before gradually heading south. This is known as the Clovis First Theory. After the site of Clovis in New Mexico, where prehistoric objects were found. The theory means it's impossible there were people in South America prior to this date. The discovery of the Brazilian rock paintings and their dates suddenly turned this theory on its head. Humans did indeed live here in Latin America, long before the supposed migration of populations from the north. Nied Guidon did not expect to unearth a bomb that threatened to completely explode the classic theory of how the American continents were settled. Armed with her discovery, Guidon set off on a large-scale mission. Along with the team of researchers, she would walk across the immense sites hundreds of kilometers in the Caatinga, typical vegetation of northern Brazil, and uncover thousands of paintings on the walls of Tocas, the rock shelters of the Serra. Paul and Jean-Louis were intent on meeting one of the first men to see this happen, Nivaldo. He works in this ceramic factory, but mainly he's the park's oldest guide. He was the one who went along with Nied to discover these first paintings. I do the finishing touches. I'm finishing this piece. It's a baking dish. If you have a lamb, just pop it in there. Back then, there were no cars here. She came on foot. She took all the paths on foot and suffered a lot too. I was used to it. But she wasn't made for walking through all that Caatinga. When it rained or when it was very hot, we'd run for shelter under the rock. And we saw this series of paintings on the walls of the Tocas. Who made them? Here, we say it was men who were hunters that lived there. And they'd draw the animals they hunted on the walls. For example, they drew deer or other animals they hunted, species that don't even exist anymore. Over the years and with each discovery, the corresponding datings confirmed their age and continued to contradict scientific theories of the time. The renown of the site grew. It became crucial to protect it and have it recognized. In 1979, Nied managed to have the site declared a national park. In 1986, she created FUMDUM, the Foundation Museum of American Man, whose mission is to manage, explore and protect this unique heritage. A development that is a stroke of luck for the region and inhabitants of the village Coronel José Díaz, located on the outskirts of the park. Numerous economic activities linked to research and tourism have been created and most of the villagers now work for the park. Nied's discovery of this site has changed the future of an entire population. Giselle Daltrini Feliz is an archaeologist. She's one of Nied's oldest collaborators. For over 30 years, she has worked with Nied in research, as well as park management and relations with the local population. The Serra da Capivara National Park covers 129,000 hectares. The sites and shelters with paintings in the park area, along with the Serra das Confusões, nearby, total a number of 1,352 archaeological sites. In 1991, UNESCO declared the rock paintings in the region to be part of mankind's world heritage. This recognition has brought value to the region in terms of the preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the environmental heritage of the Katinga. Less than 20 years after the site was discovered, its inclusion on the world heritage list is an extraordinary acknowledgement. But much work remains to be done to further unveil the park's mysteries. Who actually were these prehistoric Americans? Can the rock art they left behind help us to get to know them better? Alongside Giselle Feliz, Paul and Jean Loïc continue their investigation. They would like to see these ancient artworks up close and interpret them to find out more about the history of the artists who may have been the first inhabitants of America. Paul and Jean Loïc discover the wealth of paintings on the walls of the tocas, the rock shelters of the Serra. Unlike European rock paintings, the rock art of Serra de Capivara is made up of particularly narrative scenes dominated by human figures. For our archaeologists, this is the first opportunity to put forth potential interpretations. Over there you can see that could be a hunting scene or fighting scene, probably a hunting scene. Yes, because you've got a number of little humans there, again with headdresses or feathers or something on their heads. Each of them is carrying what seems like a stick with a hook on the end, so it looks like a spear thrower or an atlatl. Either they're fighting each other with them or more likely the focus of their attention is this beautiful animal above them with the geometric design inside it, beautifully drawn. What do you think, Jean Loïc? I don't think it's a battle scene because with the atlatl, this kind of weapon is of no use when you are just trying to kill your neighbour. The atlatl is used to kill animals which are running fast and far because it's a very powerful weapon and you can even throw your spear up to 100 metres and in my view they are all in a row looking toward the deer and trying to kill it. One of the basic problems that we have in any prehistoric rock art, of course, is trying to figure out what exactly it's trying to tell us. Now, is it just decorative? Is it a story? Is it a true story? Is it an actual battle or an actual hunt that they decided to commemorate on the wall? Is it a myth? Is it part of their creation lore? We simply don't know. So it's clearly telling some kind of a story but whether it's a factual story or a mythological story, that is another matter. Here we have a highly animated scene we've often seen. It's not exactly the same scene but the same idea. It's a sort of tree and around it there's a group of small figures in full action. In terms of the position of the figures with their hands like that, in other words, what we call a position of supplication or a praying posture, we could think of a type of ritual, especially since they're each depicted with genitals and what's more, the genitals are bent. There are two possible explanations. Either they're wearing penis sheaths in that shape or else they had piercings which also existed. In any case, what we have here has nothing to do with the scene from daily life. No. Do you find these tree scenes just in one part of the park or are they widespread throughout the park? The scene trees are everywhere but like this one, no. This one is really the richest and most complicated of them, I think. Giselle wants to take Paul and Jean-Louis to a place that makes the Serre de Capybara unique. Indeed, here we find countless depictions of sexual acts, unexpected paintings that don't fail to arouse the curiosity of our archaeologists. It's very difficult to know why they would concentrate on particular themes in different sites and it's always possible that maybe this shelter was used more than others for sexual activity. It's always possible. Or it was occupied by people who were particularly interested in that theme, either in their everyday lives or in terms of mythology and ritual and so on. So it's really very difficult but to have a concentration of them like this is very unusual. I'm not sure it's good to interpret these scenes realistically because on the left there are two deer running toward the figures. Actually, in real life, deer try to escape from humans and they should be running in the other direction to escape. They should be running left because there are humans doing something over here. So I don't think this is a realistic scene at all. I don't believe it describes something we can actually interpret at face value like that. The fact that they have these bizarre supernatural bent arms and legs going in all kinds of different directions would certainly suggest that it's a mythological scene rather than a simple narrative. The figures on the walls of the Serra are active. They appear to dance, jump and play. They make love. They hunt. They exude a feeling of joy, movement, lightness, hope. A joyful effervescence. But this unique testimony has come under threat today. The Fumdum is facing a problem inherent to all outdoor archaeological sites. Natural deterioration is gradually bringing about the disappearance of the paintings and the entire prehistoric heritage of the park is inexorably vanishing. Paul Ban and Jean-Luc Le Calec head over to the next site in order to discover the extraordinary work of scientists devoted to the digital archiving of the prehistoric paintings. State-of-the-art equipment at the service of archaeology. Each painting is photographed and scanned down to its tiniest little detail. We scan the paintings with this scanner that gives us a resolution around a half a millimeter. With this reading, we can analyze the paintings in 3D back in the lab. This site is indicative of the problems of conservation we find here. The archaeologists know the artworks they see are doomed to disappear. Yet another reason to take advantage of every possibility to observe and analyze the paintings out in the field. Laser scanning lets scientists make three-dimensional models of the sites they study. Models that allow them to safeguard the sites and observe the transformations the paintings undergo due to natural deterioration. An invaluable technique for studying the archaeological heritage of the Serra da Capivara Park. In the evening, the two archaeologists archive the photos of the paintings they studied during the day. Invaluable, rare photos that allow them to study the works more accurately. Jean-Lenic shows Paul a computer program that brings forth the details of paintings that can't be seen with the naked eye. So this is DeStretch. It was designed by John Harmon and it's very useful because it enhances photos in a way that lets us discover things that were completely invisible out in the field. Paintings we couldn't even see when we took the pictures. What's more, it's very useful because it gives a better idea of juxtapositions that are very delicate when we don't know which painting is on top of the other. With this, we can really see which one was made after the other. The same here with a picture where all we see is a faint yellow spot. When we use the same program on it, the yellow looks green and it's much clearer. We see it's a quadruped with a quadrangular body. The neck, head, a little ear, two front legs, two hind legs, a little tail pointing up. And inside that image is another little red flying gallop quadruped with two front legs, two hind legs, a little tail, etc. We can easily see that the red paintings were made later. They're on top and it's very obvious. Out in the field, even if we look straight at it, there's no way we can see that. Right. This tool is turning the study of prehistoric art upside down, considering everything we've missed over the past decades and everything we can't see with the naked eye. We really need to take another look at all the deposits of rock paintings throughout the world because there really is so much that we've missed. Exactly. All our inventories need to be redone. Right. Will this technology allow archaeologists to unravel new mysteries surrounding the daily life of prehistoric times? Though semi-arid today, over 10,000 years ago, the Serra de Capivara was covered by a dense green tropical forest with towering trees and fish-filled rivers. An environment conducive to the survival of man, but a forest filled with animals like armadillos and giant sloths that could grow up to six meters tall, or else the famous saber-toothed tiger. It's an amazing landscape, isn't it? So it probably hasn't changed in terms of the rocks very much in 25,000, 30,000 years, but the climate and the vegetation has certainly changed a lot. We can see and certainly hear these big animals crashing through the vegetation. Paul and Jean-Louis have an appointment at the Fumdum, where a large collection of bones from the prehistoric period is held and studied in the paleontology lab. This research gives us a better understanding of the environment and climate changes at the time. About 10,000 years ago, there were climate changes, not only in this region, but also on a global scale. These changes, there were probably several, were relatively fast and led to the disappearance of the megafauna in several countries of the world. Some animals managed to migrate to more conducive areas, but others did not migrate or managed to adapt. The vast majority of the megafauna, mastodons, giant sloths, clactodons, giant armadillos, horses too, and then others like deer, peccaries. The majority of carnivores and man managed to adapt, and so we can still find them out in the field. Our two archaeologists have the unexpected pleasure of meeting one of these survivors, an armadillo, whose species has traveled down through the ages to our current era. ...animal with these enormous claws for digging out the insects, but they're wonderful animals with this armor plating on the top, and yet the belly is really quite soft and hairy. They're just beautiful animals. Oh yes, and she's going to shorten the edge and then they will take care of it. Today, practically all these animals have disappeared, but records of their existence remain painted on the rock walls. Species that went extinct around 10,000 years ago. Humans fought to survive and have left evidence of their passage here. Yet despite the proof gathered over the years, some researchers still express doubts about the dating of several of the park's sites. To face up to her critics and defend the legitimacy of the park, Nied Guidon called upon a new team. In 2008, backed by a multidisciplinary team, Eric Boeda took up the torch to hone and develop the archaeological investigations. He is a professor of archaeology and member of the University Institute of France, internationally renowned for his work on prehistoric tools. He's in charge of several archaeological missions around the world, and from his very first discoveries here at the Sierra de Capybara, he has been convinced the dates are correct. You came here in 2008, is that right? Yes, 2008. Nied Guidon asked me to come to make yet another assessment of the Boqueirao material, and I came in with a Brazilian colleague named Emilio Fogasa. We looked at the material, immediately thought, why? Why is there a controversy? It's obvious. After that, Nied asked me if I could launch another French mission. And it is here, on the Sitio do Meio site, that Eric has been lucky enough to find the virtually irrefutable proof of the datings. Excavations for prehistoric objects are organized around the notion of stratigraphy. The basic principle is that occupation layers accumulate over time, and therefore the one we walk on is the most recent. When we dig, we find previous layers, and the deeper we dig, the older they get. The oldest remains are the ones way at the bottom of the excavation. At this site, the rocky ceiling collapsed, completely sealing in the layers underneath. Eric Boqueira heads up an excavation beneath the level that collapsed. What he discovers confirms Nied's dates. Three bits of charcoal were directly dated here, and all three were 28,000 years old, along with the one found here that we managed to position that came from this zone here, which read 25, but when calibrated, read 28, plus a final one that just has 28. So we're at 28,000 years old. This sedimentary episode corresponds to a dwelling that is 28,000 years old. What do you feel when you walk on ground that's 28,000 years old, or when you find an object no one has seen for 28,000 years? I think the main feeling is that we're in contact with traces left by other humans, so we're within history, and above all, that's a responsibility. I function on the principle that if people have been here for 40,000 years, then I'm just another page in that history. So I'm definitely not going to write the conclusion. I have to write another page without destroying the ones that came here, and above all, without closing the book. That's my responsibility. For Eric Boqueira and practically the entire archaeological world, proof exists that men and women lived here at least 28,000 years ago, and continued to do so for thousands of years. But although the dates are no longer contested today, their interpretation has been questioned by defenders of the Clovis First Theory. The arguments presented by Eric Boqueira have been challenged by certain scientists who feel they don't confirm the presence of humans here nearly 30,000 years ago. They claim that the charcoal didn't come from hearths, but natural fires, and that the stones found by Eric Boqueira aren't tools, but merely the result of rock falls. Yet for Boqueira, an expert in the ancient industries of prehistory, and distinguished experimenter, there is no doubt as to their human origin. When all's said and done, you have to go a long way back in time and ask, what is a tool? A tool is one part for the hand which allows the object to be handled. Now, think about that part. It has to be comfortable, because if it's sharp, you won't be able to work. And if it's unshaped, you'll have trouble doing this or that. You never see the prehensile part. For example, the fork handle or the spoon handle. You don't think it's very important, but if you take away the handle, just see how well you can eat with a fork. It's a fundamental part, but it's invisible. On the other hand, the part that comes in contact with the material is very visible. It's the only thing we're going to see. The prehensile part is absolutely fundamental, and that means the moment of selection is very important. We're going to make a butchering tool, something like a saw. I've got the flat part here, and gradually I'll get here to the sharp cutting edge. The difficulty is I need to obtain an angle that's always sharp. Already here, I've got a kind of micro-denticulation. We see the cutting edge is not a straight line. It's sinusoidal, like saws today. It's indicative of butchering, getting in there to joints and tendons. I can't demonstrate it too deeply, but it's incredibly effective. So, if I understand correctly, we've got tools with a primitive appearance, and we risk surmising that they're extremely old because of how they look. And perhaps sometimes I get the impression some of them look so primitive that some people don't even think they were tools. Well, there's the fact that it fell from the cliff. Boom. So, it's true there are natural fractures. But when nature produces an object from a fall, that object has no functionality. There's no logic to the impacts it has. They're completely random. But when man wants to make an object, he has a functional gold in mind, a prehensile part and a transformative part that can apply pressure. There are a whole set of factors to respect. Now, some people said it was apes, but no article shows apes chiseling and producing sharp edges to use as tools. Apes use this property of the rock. It's weight. But when you look in slow motion and observe the impacts, you see apes use whatever part of this surface here. They have no notion of the quality of the impact. So, an object made by nature is ruled out. And an object produced by apes is doubly ruled out. The Pedro Ferrada site and its discoveries have completely called the classic theory on the peopling of the American continent into question. Perhaps the Bering Strait was not their only point of entry. But how did man make it all the way here? There are several hypotheses today. An initial wave of migration could have come from Asia between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago, already crossing the Bering Strait at that point. Man could also have traveled along the coasts by coastal navigation. Another hypothesis posits they could have rowed across the ocean or drifted after a shipwreck. Researchers today are studying every possibility in terms of departure point, the season of the crossing, sea currents, winds, as well as their chances of survival. But what Nied and her teams have forced almost the entire scientific community to admit is that humans did indeed live here in South America more than 25,000 years ago. In the evening, Paul and Jean-Louis join Nied at her home. For her, the debate has been settled. Today, is there still a controversy or has it been generally accepted? No, I think it's been completely accepted now. I think the most skeptical critics now have to admit. Of course, our work here and publications are appearing in American journals, so there's no problem. There were theories, but a theory needs data to prove it as law. If there are no data, or if the data show it isn't true, then that's the end of the theory. And I think a lot of people took the Clovis first theory to be law. But in fact, it was just a theory. The investigation of our two archaeologists is drawing to a close. It has been proven that the Sierra de Capybara was indeed home to man thousands of years ago. Man, or rather artists. Paul and Jean-Louis are meeting up this morning with Zé Palito. Zé is a street artist from São Paulo. Zé is also an archaeology buff, yet this is the first time he's seen the works of his artistic predecessors, among the first men to express their art, like him, on the walls nature has provided. I've never seen such a big figure of a jaguar here. Zé and the archaeologists behold a surprising figure, a giant white jaguar, which contrasts with the styles of painting they've discovered until now. They have six toes. A painting that's amazingly similar to Zé Palito's work. Nature is highly present in Zé's art, often represented by jaguars or tigers. So Zé, what's your reaction to this? Because here you've got a jaguar that's really a major highlight on this wall that was done probably thousands of years ago, and you're producing something quite similar in your art with jaguars, sometimes as the prominent figures. Obviously, there are differences. Everyone expresses themselves in terms of and in keeping with their era, their preoccupations and use of various materials. But what they share is the fact that they were made on a solid surface outside. It's interesting to think that thousands of years ago, those people were doing what I do today, painting on walls. And it's also interesting to think about their pigment techniques. What I do is ephemeral. It doesn't last as long, even with modern techniques. My pigments aren't good. Whereas they made paintings that have lasted thousands of years. Natural pigments are the best and last the longest. They can last 10,000, 20,000, even 30,000 years because they're mineral pigments. They don't change over time. What can change is what we add to pigments, the binder, to make them adhere. But the painting methods invented in prehistoric times were used without any change up until the 19th century. Some of the figures are very big. They're made to be seen from a long distance. They're made to be easily seen by a lot of people. Other figures are very, very small. You have to go really close to see them. They're much more private, more discreet. So it's very difficult to put the same explanation on those. I don't know if you have the same thing in your art. The sun plays a big influence. For instance, if the artist paints on a wall that's directly in the sun and gets direct sunlight all day long, his work will most likely have fewer details. If he paints in the shade, he'll take more time and not be rushed. From what I see here, prehistoric men generally painted in the shade, which explains all the details and small sizes. Details that are visible to the naked eye, but also paintings that are revealed with the image-enhancing software used by Jean-Louis. Taking a reading of a painting on a wall is a bit like carrying out an excavation on an archaeological site. And with these computer programs, it's possible to see paintings that were practically invisible. We can see how the scene was composed and in what order. We clarify juxtapositions and thereby the chronology of creation. It's interesting to draw parallels between rock art and my own work. In both cases, we see human beings, nature and animals. This tiger is in the same position as the jaguar. Oh, that's very beautiful. This is a very special work for me. I'll translate for you. Right here it says, the future arrives. What do you guys think about this painting? Well, if I didn't have you here to explain what it means, and of course that's the problem we have with all of prehistoric rock art, my immediate literal reading of it would be that gardening can be very dangerous. But what I notice is that as we were talking earlier, you have some things very big, like a futuro, the future has arrived in big letters, so that can be seen from a big distance. But then you've also put in words in very small letters, which you would have to go to the wall to read. So again, you've got this connection of very big things meant to be seen from a distance, and then much more private things that you need to go and take the trouble to look at. There's a huge difference with the rock painting we just saw. Of course, there are plants and an animal jumping, but we also have a message, written words. The future arrives. And that helps guide our interpretation of the image. It's very different when we have no text and absolutely no idea of the context. We also know this work is in an urban setting. We know a lot of things, actually, just by looking at the picture. Whereas when we look at the decorated shelters, we're completely helpless. We know virtually nothing and can't interpret them. Even here, with this image and text, luckily we have your interpretation, because otherwise I think we'd have no clue. With rock painting, it's much worse. We're likely to get it totally wrong because we have no written indication and no oral indication. The people who did it can't explain what they did. The park is much more than just a spectacular artistic heritage left by our ancestors. It's also an area of preservation for plant and animal life, an amazing place for researchers from all over the world, not just archaeologists, but also botanists and zoologists. A preserved area where Brazil's nature can reassert itself. It is here, before the park's most famous natural sculpture, that Paul and Jean-Louis meet up one last time with the woman responsible for making this patch of Brazil a chapter in the history of humanity. Around this geological monument, you have created a monument of archaeology and tourism. What you have done is amazing. What prehistoric man did? Yes, but you were the one who revealed it to the world. Sure, but it really was a stroke of luck, because at first I didn't think it would be so huge. The first time you saw that, you never imagined you'd devote more than half of your life to this region. That's right. The problem is every time you go somewhere else, you find things. Right. When you first came here, you never guessed everything that had happened before, and everything that would come after. I suppose it's just as hard now to imagine what it'll be like in the future. But what is your hope for the future? I hope all the people we've trained are going to keep trying to maintain all this. But that does not depend on me. I think we've already trained quite a few people who today have PhDs and can continue the research and maintain this entire site. And also the more distant future, thanks to the young children. Yes, the young children. There are a lot of people, because it's already in the curriculum. Sarah de Capivara is already in the history books. Teachers come to show them all this. Right. The future depends on education, and hope lies with youth. I can tell that all the children who come here really love to see all this. With her tenacity and support of the local people, Nied used her archaeologist brush to write a chapter of her country's past and draw a clearer sketch of our origins.