RouteJoão Pessoa

Pedra do Ingá: South America's Greatest Petroglyph Site

The Pedra do Ingá — 120 km from João Pessoa — is one of the Americas' most extraordinary archaeological sites; thousands of pre-Columbian petroglyphs carved into river rock, some depicting astronomical knowledge

Google Maps Apple Maps

1
Pedra do Ingá Petroglyphs
The 24-meter-long river cliff covered with carved figures, geometric patterns and symbols represents one of South America's largest petroglyph concentrations; the significance of the carvings and the people who made them remain debated
2
Astronomical Interpretations
Some scholars believe that the Ingá petroglyphs record astronomical observations—celestial bodies, calendar information, and star patterns; the hypothesis remains questionable but adds a fascinating dimension
3
Origin Paribas History
The Ingá rock documents the presence of pre-Columbian people in the Paraíba sertão — the same river valley where the Portuguese and the Tabajara indigenous people would fight over territory two millennia later
4
Ingá Town and Caatinga
The city of Ingá is located in the caatinga biome — the semi-arid thorn scrub unique to northeastern Brazil; the landscape of dried riverbeds, cacti and xique-xique pillars surrounds the archaeological site
5
Caatinga Biome Discovery
The Caatinga - once dismissed as weakened - contains extraordinary endemic species; the blue-haired macaw, armadillos and many endemic plants make the northeastern inland a biodiversity surprise
6
Day trip from João Pessoa to Sertão
The drive from João Pessoa to Ingá's petroglyphs passes through the coastal zone into the semi-arid caatinga — the dramatic landscape change of 120 km from coast to dry inland is one of Brazil's most striking transitions