What is the importance of the Praia das Lajes engravings?
The engravings of Praia das Lajes, an archaeological site of “great relevance” according to Jaime Oliveira, archaeologist at the Brazilian Institute of Historical Heritage (Iphan), had been discovered in 2010, during another period of drought not as severe as the current one.
The set of rocks where the records appear is flanked by a dense jungle on one side, and on the other the low brownish waters of the Río Negro.
Most of the engravings refer to human faces, some rectangular and others oval, with smiles or more stern gestures.
“The site expresses emotions, feelings, it is a rock record, but it has something in common with current works of art,” Oliveira said.
For Beatriz Carneiro, historian and member of Iphan, Praia das Lajes has an “inestimable” value for science to understand the first peoples who inhabited the region, a field that is still little explored.
“Unfortunately, now it appears again with the worsening of the drought,” Carneiro ponders. “Having our rivers back (in flood) and keeping the engravings submerged will help preserve them, even more than our work,” he added.