This article explores the trajectory of archaeologist Niède Guidon and her scientific-cultural legacy based on her discoveries in Serra da Capivara, Piauí. Based on her contribution to Brazilian archaeology and the importance of Serra da Capivara National Park as a world heritage site, we discuss the role of science and education in preserving historical memory and valuing indigenous cultures. Finally, we analyze the archaeoastronomical potential of the region's rock paintings, exploring the possible relationship between prehistoric graphic records and celestial observations of its ancient inhabitants. The analysis adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating archaeology, cultural astronomy and history of science.

São Raimundo Nonato, with a little over a century of political emancipation, had its urban area originated by the installation of Portuguese cattle ranches and the arrival of the Jesuits in the 19th century, which generated conflicts with the native populations that inhabited the region. From these events, the first colonial buildings emerged, including a church that became the nucleus of the future urban center. The human presence in the region dates back to the indigenous populations generically known as Tapuias, who faced conflicts and resistance and, over time, were assimilated by colonization. Historical, archaeological and linguistic studies associate these peoples with the Macro-Jê linguistic trunk, in addition to recording the presence of other peoples, such as the Caraíbas and, to a lesser extent, the Tupis. In addition, the municipality is recognized worldwide for its connection to the Serra da Capivara National Park, which houses a vast archaeological, landscape, and cultural heritage, encompassing part of the rural area of ​​the municipality of São Raimundo. However, this research seeks to raise some emerging points recognized by Urban Social Archaeology as an alternative to safeguarding these memories and urban heritage that is in the process of being eroded by the events of globalization.

Anurans are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates globally, and environmental heterogeneity plays a key role in shaping their diversity patterns. This study aimed to update the anuran checklist of the Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí State, northeastern Brazil, and investigate the influence of local heterogeneity on anuran abundance and richness. We recorded 16 anuran species across five families - Bufonidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Microhylidae, and Phyllomedusidae - most of which are typical Caatinga species or widely distributed taxa. Our results indicate that local heterogeneity did not significantly affect species richness; however, it had a notable impact on anuran abundance. We highlight the importance of heterogeneous habitats in supporting larger anuran populations and enhancing population stability. This study contributes to the understanding of biodiversity patterns and the primary environmental factors affecting anuran communities in Serra da Capivara National Park, offering insights to inform current and future conservation strategies.

This article presents the results of an archaeological survey conducted at the Toca dos Oitenta site, located in the Serra da Capivara National Park. This is the site with the oldest data for rock art records recorded in the Northeast region of Brazil, between 5,890 and 5,650 and 7,840 and 7,600 BP. These chronologies were obtained through samples of carvings, which were found associated with the same stratigraphic layer where the rock engravings were located. To identify the techniques used to make these records, a bibliographic survey of the research carried out on rock engravings was carried out and a data collection protocol was developed for in-depth analysis. The engravings present at Toca dos Oitenta are mostly devoid of elements of recognition of the sensitive world, except for a few issues, where we can identify the presence of tridigits and representations of hands and feet. These representations are also seen in scenes of rock paintings, in many places. This aspect contributes to our belief in the recurrence of rock paintings, with or without changes in support. Thus, on the site researched, it can be inferred that those responsible for making the engravings there preferred the technique of scraping on a friable rock, such as sandstone.

The last two decades have seen great advances in the study of social learning (learning from others), in part due to efforts to identify it in the wild as the basis of behavioral traditions. Theoretical frameworks suggest that both the dynamics of social tolerance and transmission biases (or social learning strategies) influence the pathways of information diffusion in social groups. Bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) inhabiting the semiarid seasonal caatinga biome of the Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) form highly tolerant societies that possess the largest "tool-kit" described for monkeys, a feat likely facilitated by social learning. Here, we used social network analysis and an open diffusion experiment using an extractive foraging task to identify the occurrence of social learning and describe the pathways of social transmission of information in two wild primate populations. The dynamics of social tolerance outside of task introductions predicted opportunities for social learning, but it was tolerance during task introductions that predicted the actual pathways of social information diffusion. Our results also indicated that the capuchins mainly learned from others via direct observation and naïve individuals exhibited an observation bias toward successful males. This study supports the claims of cultural transmission in robust capuchins and empirically supports the role of social tolerance and social learning strategies in human and nonhuman primate cultural evolution.

Platyrrhines consume many species of arthropods in the order Orthoptera. Some species of orthopterans can produce chemical defenses that render them toxic or unpalatable and thus act as predator deterrents. These species include the stick grasshoppers (family Proscopiidae), which are widely distributed in the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which comprises part of the distribution of capuchin monkeys. Capuchin monkeys are omnivores and consume a wide variety of foods, including unpleasant-tasting, potentially toxic items, which they need to learn how to process. We describe the processing of stick grasshoppers (Stiphra sp.) by wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) that live in Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, and compare how individuals of different age classes handle these potentially toxic food items. S. libidinosus predominantly avoided consuming the digestive tract, which contains toxic compounds, when feeding on stick grasshoppers. Immatures took longer than adults to process the stick grasshoppers, indicating that capuchins need to learn how to process the toxic digestive tract of these prey to avoid consuming it.

This paper presents an archaeological and geophysical prospecting study at the Toca Pequena da Areia (TPA) site in the Serra da Capivara National Park (Brazil). The rock shelter has cave paintings and surface sediments in sandstone. The electrical resistivity method (Dipole-Dipole and Horizontal Electrical Tracking) was used, with eight data collection lines, generating geoelectrical sections. The results revealed three distinct zones: on the right, shallow sediments (15 cm) on sandstone rock; in the center, layers up to 1 m with organic matter and sand; on the left, sediments up to 5 cm with organic material. The detected anomalies suggest archaeological potential, indicating viable areas for excavation. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of geophysics in identifying subsurface structures, aiding future research at the site.

Ecotourism faces the challenge of balancing environmental and cultural preservation with sustainable development and local income generation. Since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, environmental conservation has gained relevance on government schedule. The establishment of Conservation Units (CUs) has led to the implementation of administrative and political mechanisms to safeguard specific ecosystems. These spaces not only protect the environment but also enable indirect use through tourism, with an emphasis on ecotourism. This study aims to evaluate whether the ecotourism practices adopted in the Serra da Capivara National Park (PNSC), located in Piauí, align with the theoretical framework that underpins this tourism segment. Using a Case Study methodology, which includes visits to PNSC, literature review, and photographic documentation, it was found that this Integral Conservation Unit is in line with the guidelines advocated by ecotourism. Keywords: Conservation Unit; Serra da Capivara National Park; Ecotourism.

This essay aims to present some sexual representations in rock art in the Serra da Capivara National Park (PNSC), in southeastern Piauí, Brazil. Since immemorial times, humans have created ways to express themselves, and rock art, engravings and/or paintings were sociocultural forms found to store and safeguard the most varied everyday information of group interests. More than 1,000 archaeological sites are known in the park, representing subjects related to the sociability of ancestral life, such as hunting, gathering, fighting, ceremonies, sexualities and much more. These depictions have been studied since the 1970’s and allowed the creation of a national park recognized as a World Heritage site. Although the paintings depict scenes considered by Western observers as obscene, barbaric and immoral, it is necessary to remember that primitive sexuality was not separate, private subject, to be hidden from the eyes of the social human life, as it is considered by us in 21st century. Key words: sexuality, rock art, prehistoric life, Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí.

This study identifies gastrointestinal parasites in the feces of Pecari tajacu (caititu) and Sus scrofa domesticus (domestic pig) in southeastern Piauí, Brazil. The region covers 2 protected areas, Serra da Capivara National Park and Serra das Confusões National Park, and surrounding communities. Fecal samples from 64 animals, 42 from domestic swine and 22 from caititu, collected between 1985 and 2013, were analyzed by optical microscopy. Helminths and/or protozoa were found in 64% of the domestic pig samples and 27% of the caititu samples, totaling 18 morphospecies: Nematoda, Spirurida (2 morphospecies), Trichostrongyloidea, Eimeriidae, Aspidodera sp., Bertiella sp., Metastrongylus sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Moniezia sp., Gongylonema sp., Trichuris suis, Spirocerca lupi, Macracanthorhyncus hirudinaceus, Globocephalus urosubulatus, Strongyloides cf ransomi, Balantioides coli, and Eimeria cf scabra. The highest parasite diversity was obtained in the pig samples, totaling 15 morphospecies, compared to only 6 in caititus, with S. cf ransomi, G. urosubulatus, and S. lupi present in both hosts. We discuss the presence of parasites associated with domestic animals around the Protected Areas and potentially zoonotic parasites close to human communities, which raise concerns about the conservation of wildlife, human health, and livestock in the region.

Our goals were to (1) measure the terrestriality levels of a group of capuchin monkeys and (2) test the hypothesis that terrestriality has a positive effect on the stone tool use variability because the increased time on the ground would offer more opportunities to interact with the available stones, leading to more innovations of tool use behaviors. We predict a more diversified use of stone tools in the population with a higher degree of terrestriality. This study was on a group of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) at Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP), Brazil. Scan sampling was done for 23 months, recording the behavior and substrate used by the individuals. The ground use rate was 41%, with no sex difference but an age difference: infants were less terrestrial than juveniles and adults. Compared to a population with a more limited tool use repertoire (Fazenda Boa Vista), SCNP adult capuchins are more terrestrial (43% v. 27%). Stone tool use diversity and terrestriality in capuchins appear to be positively correlated. Our results support this hypothesis and provide terrestriality measurements of the wild capuchin population with the most complex stone tool kit.

Relict soil features in cave sediments record periods of wet climate and dense vegetation over the last 100 kyr in a present-day semiarid region of northeast Brazil

This investigation discusses the relationship between the body culture of movement and two rock art scenes located in the Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara, (Serra da Capivara National Park) - PNSC, in the state of Piauí, Brazil. The scenes depict a flic flac and a human pyramid, which have been accepted in contemporaneity as gymnastics and acrobatics. An interdisciplinary theoretical apparatus based on Physical Education and its relationships with Archeology and Anthropology was used in the analysis. The analysis is based on inferences, as nothing guarantees that the hands that portrayed the scenes had the same intentions as the authors of the research. One of the findings understands that motor skills helped the daily demands of adversity for the survival of the group. In another point of view, based on the Ilinx concept, flic flac satisfies the search for a trance/vertigo vital to ritualistic liturgy, and the human pyramid serves the imperative task of consolidating cooperative bonds and trust between its members in a hostile environment.

Sapajus libidinosus members of the Pedra Furada group, living in the Serra da Capivara National Park, use stone tools in a wider variety of behaviors than any other living animal, except humans. To rescue the evolutionary history of the Caatinga S. libidinosus and identify factors that may have contributed to the emergence and maintenance of their tool-use culture, we conducted fieldwork seasons to obtain biological samples of these capuchin monkeys. UsingCYTBsequences, we show a discrete but constant population growth from the beginning of the Holocene to the present, overlapping the emergence of the Caatinga biome. Our habitat suitability reconstruction reports the presence of plants whose hard fruits, seeds, or roots are processed by capuchins using tools. TheS. libidinosusindividuals in the Caatinga were capable of dynamically developing and maintaining their autochthonous culture thanks to: a) cognitive capacity to generate and execute innovation under selective pressure; b) tolerance favoring learning and cultural inheritance; c) an unknown genetic repertoire that underpins the adaptive traits; d) a high degree of terrestriality; e) presence and abundance of natural resources, which makes some places "hot spots" for innovation, and cultural diversification within a relatively short time.

ABSTRACT Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an array of other severe threats to societal well-being (e.g. inequality, systemic racism, and environmental degradation), have shed light on the importance of ethics of care as a guiding normative for HRD. However, the current understanding of care as HRD practice is limited and primarily studied in the context of leaders’ behaviours towards employees. This study addresses this shortcoming by conducting a case study of social enterprises located in impoverished communities surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, to examine what caring HRD looks like and how it can be operationalised in organisations. We conducted a qualitative study based on interviews and documentation analysis to map the flow of care practices implemented by these social enterprises. Our findings suggest that caring HRD entails a reciprocal and systemic approach highly relevant to organisations operating in collaborative and complex social contexts. We observed that moral values are critical requirements for a caring approach and must be embedded in the organisation’s mission, culture, and processes. Our work expands the range of care interventions proposed in HRD literature by offering strategies that target the whole organisational system, including the surrounding environment and community.

Using microscopy and/or immunodiagnosis, the authors analyzed 284 fecal samples from the Brazilian rock cavy, Kerodon rupestris, that were collected between 1984 and 2015 in Serra da Capivara National Park for the presence of helminths and protozoa. Fourteen morphospecies of helminth eggs of the following taxa were found: Trematoda, Nematoda, Strongylidae, Lagochilascaris sp., Strongylida, Trichuris (2 species), Oxyuridae (3 species), Ancylostomatidae (2 species), and Ascarididae (2 species), along with 3 protozoan taxa: Coccidia, Cryptosporidium sp., and Balantidium sp. During the last 30 yr, the population of K. rupestris has increased in the region as a consequence of the creation and management of the National Park, and data from this study show a concurrent increase in the diversity of intestinal parasites in this host, including new reports. Some of these species have zoonotic potential, which suggests that K. rupestris may be in contact with domestic farm animals and/or human feces. These results show the importance of integrating different diagnostic approaches for the identification of protozoa in the region and indicate that further methods need to be employed to increase recovery. This work highlights the usefulness of parasite studies in assessing the health of ecosystems, especially in protected areas, which should be considered by park managers and health agencies.

Vertebrate predation was a vital behavior during human evolution. Some Afro-Eurasian primates, such as baboons (Papio spp.) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), frequently hunt and consume vertebrate prey. Capuchin monkeys (Cebus and Sapajus) are omnivorous platyrrhines, and also hunt and consume vertebrates opportunistically. Bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) living in semi-arid savannah environments use stone tools to obtain food resources. However, only one population at Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, is known to use stick probes to enhance predation. I present data collected for 2 years on vertebrate predation and consumption by two groups of capuchins in this population. Recording vertebrate predation events ad libitum, I observed 72 events, at a rate of 4.6 events/100 h. The most frequent prey were lizards and snakes, followed by birds and rodents, including larger rodents such as adult rock cavies (Kerodon rupestris). The monkeys also preyed on bats, albeit rarely. Predation on vertebrates, including prey that are large relative to their body size, use of tools to aid predation, and a high degree of terrestriality in the savannah environment make robust capuchins a suitable model to understand human evolution, as well as a good comparison with Afro-Eurasian primate models.

There is a growing interest in how entrepreneurship animates deliberate sustainability transformations across societal levels. Few studies, however, have provided an empirically grounded account of practices employed by sustainability-driven entrepreneurial organizations for sustainability transformations. We address this gap by applying the critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) framework to identify practices for developing organizational and community capacity conducive to sustainability transformations in two cases of sustainability-driven entrepreneurship in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil. We used case study methodology to identify five practices by conducting a reflexive thematic analysis with qualitative data from key informant interviews, documents, and secondary sources. Our results show that each practice was strongly oriented by relational values of care and social–ecological systems thinking. Both humans and nonhumans were taken as stakeholders who participate in and benefit from practices. Caring for the local place, place-based learning, and regenerative organizing appeared to be relevant for learning and development interventions that imparted significant changes in the local social–ecological context. We updated the CHRD framework to incorporate a nonhuman dimension and highlight caring, place-based learning, and regenerative organizing as essential areas of engagement in which HRD practices in support of place-based sustainability transformations occur.

The present work aims to address the recurrences of phytomorphs in the Serra da Capivara National Park, located in southwest Piauí, in the Northeast region of Brazil. The main one of the work is related to the importance of the relationship between flora and human groups located in the place, being evidenced by the rock scenes found in the rocky walls. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the importance of the scenography of the ritual of the tree for the human societies that inhabited the place, the magic of nature may have been a religious power used by local leaders, as a way of maintaining control of their society and threatening your enemies. The methodology used in the development of this work was: 1st) bibliographic and documental research, based on publications that deal with the theme; 2nd) field research, based on investigations in archaeological sites in the Serra da Capivara National Park. Finally, the study of the magic of nature in the ritual scene of trees can contribute to the understanding of the religious aspects of human societies that inhabited the place in the past.

The present article intends to present the scenes of rupestrian representations of the zoophilia relationships, present in one of the artistic traditions of our ancestors in the reigão, the Nordeste Tradition, of Rock Art, as they are known by the scholars, in the Serra da Capivara National Park – PNSC, Piuaí, Brazil. These representations were collected in field work by some of the authors. We carried out the work between 2014 and 2018. They have sex between humans and a variety of non-human.