Archeological and historical sites
Treasures from the past continue being researched
The area of the Dr. Daisaku Ikeda private natural heritage reserve (RPPN) has archeological and historical sites that reveal facets of the past – whether more or less distant – of this very special land.
The archaeological site was first discovered in 2001 during the construction of the Institute’s administrative center and, there, ceramic pieces, such as a funerary urn and an alguidar (bowl used by indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon region) were identified.
In their analyses of this site, archaeological scholars refer to three phases: Guarita, Ceramic, and Wall, which are about 2,000 years old. Multidisciplinary studies are being
undertaken to seek to understand how the pots were produced, used, and discarded.
In this area, there is a phenomenon that is unusual and occurs only in years of extreme drought during the summer; in these years, when the river flow is very low, the area known as Lage de Pedra becomes a point of attraction for visitors from many places in order to view up close rock engravings (of human faces and geometric traces) that are etched into the walls on the riverbank that are usually under water during the winter and even after regular summers.
The more recent historic site dates from the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. There are ruins of old buildings and the remains of the potteries that were active until the early years of the 20th century.
Geological site
From a geological standpoint, there are also relevant facts that should be highlighted.
A detail of significant importance is that the private natural heritage reserve (RPPN) area has practically all the soil types found in the Amazon, especially the terra-preta-de-índio soil (Amazonian dark earth), considered the most fertile of all.
