Rock paintings at Serra de Capivara National Park.
Urban, Karl and Ulrike Prinz. RiffReporter Podcast, “Wann entdeckten Menschen Amerika zum allerersten Mal, Ulrike Prinz?” 7 August 2025. https://www.riffreporter.de/de/wissen/riffreporter-podcast-archaeologin-niede-guidon-besiedelung-amerika-indigene-brasilien.
A barren and extremely arid region in northeastern Brazil holds a treasure of humanity: In the Serra da Capivara in the state of Piauí, there are rock walls bearing drawings by its former inhabitants, as well as Stone Age firepits and tools. Many of these sites are thousands of years old, some even tens of thousands. When they were first discovered, they put prevailing theories about the settlement of the Americas to a severe test. The Americas had been settled by Homo sapiens many thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
The fact that these rock paintings are known today and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is largely the achievement of the Franco-Brazilian archaeologist Niède Guidon (1933–2025). RiffReporter Ulrike Prinz has covered Brazil and Latin America for two decades. She traces Niède Guidon’s work, who not only challenged the Bering Strait theory regarding the first settlement of the Americas but was also socially engaged, helping local communities rise out of poverty. Ulrike Prinz also discusses the situation of Indigenous peoples in Brazil, an emerging nation navigating a complex political landscape.
RiffReporter Podcast offers in-depth insights into topics related to science, the environment, society, and technology. In each episode experienced journalists explore complex issues, fascinating background stories, and current developments. From climate change and space exploration to artificial intelligence and biodiversity—the conversations with experts and authors are characterized by thorough research and diverse perspectives.
In this episode, Karl Urban sits down with ethnologist Ulrike Prinz to discuss the work of the archaeologist Niède Guidon and the traces of the first humans in the Americas. Please note that the podcast is in German.
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