Niède Guidon, the archaeologist who discovered hundreds of cave paintings in Brazil, dies at 92

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Niède Guidon, the Brazilian archaeologist known for discovering hundreds of prehistoric cave paintings in northeastern Brazil and for her research challenging theories of ancient human presence in the Americas, died Wednesday at 92, the Serra da Capivara National Park announced.

Guidon first documented the red ocher cave paintings in the semi-arid state of Piaui in the 1970s. These ancient artworks, made with natural pigments such as iron oxides and charcoal, depict deer and capybaras, but also scenes of everyday life including hunting, childbirth, dancing and kissing.

Guidon fought for the preservation of the area, leading to the establishment of the Serra da Capivara National Park in 1979. In 1991, UNESCO recognized the nearly 130,000-hectare park, with its sprawling valleys, mountains, and plains, as a world cultural heritage site.

Guidon’s discoveries shook traditional theories on when and how humans arrived on the American continent, according to a 2024 statement by Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.

It was previously believed that humans had reached the Americas approximately 13,000 years ago via the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska.

Based on the exploration of archaeological sites in Piaui — which uncovered 15,000-year-old human bones, cave paintings estimated to be around 35,000 years old and evidence of fires dating back 48,000 years — Guidon argued that humans had arrived on the American continent from Africa via the sea, and much earlier than previously believed, the statement said.

The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage commended Guidon’s contributions in a joint statement Wednesday.

“If Serra da Capivara is today recognized as one of the most important concentrations of archaeological sites in the world, with a profound impact on the debate and understanding of the history of human occupation of the Americas, it is above all thanks to Niède Guidon’s vision and tireless defense of science and culture,” they said.

“Professor Niède is one of those unforgettable figures who have inscribed their name in our history,” Mauro Pires, president of the Chico Mendes Institute, was quoted as saying, describing her contribution to global archaeology as immeasurable.

“Brazilian science is saddened by the passing of Niède Guidon, who helped us understand the origins of man in the American continent,” Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a statement.

Guidon was born in the interior of Sao Paulo state in 1933. She graduated in Natural History from the University of Sao Paulo in 1959, before moving to France to pursue her studies. She completed her doctorate at Paris’ Sorbonne University in 1975, after presenting a thesis on the cave paintings in Piaui state.

Guidon went on to found the Foundation Museum of the American Man, a non-profit dedicated to the cultural and natural heritage of Serra da Capivara National Park, which she led between 1986 and 2019.

“For decades, she and her team fought to secure funding and infrastructure for the park, firmly standing against government neglect,” the nonprofit said on Wednesday, adding that her work was marked by “passion, persistence, and a generous vision of science as a tool for social transformation.”

In 2024, Brazil’s National Council of Scientific and Technological Development asked Guidon about the obstacles she faced as a woman and a scientist.

“I never worried about people’s opinions about me," she said. “I worked hard, created a very qualified team, and history was made.”

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