Brazil - Minas Gerais

French archaeological mission in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The states of Minas Gerais and Goiás form a sort of castle of Brazil, where great rivers diverge from the vigorous reliefs of the Espinhaço, flowing into the Rio de la Plata (in the south), the Amazon in the north and directly into the Atlantic in the east and north-east. The average and lower courses of these waterways have facilitated contact between all regions of Brazil, whereas the high terrain in the interior favours the isolation of populations.

The Archaeological Mission of Minas Gerais, in close collaboration with the federal university of that state, aims to study the main drainage basins (Rio das Velhas, Rio São Francisco, Jequitinhonha, Rio Doce) to characterise local prehistoric occupations since the beginning of human settlement (at least 12,000 years ago) and conduct research on inter-regional cultural influences, which can be seen from the technology used in the production of instruments, their morphology, burial rites and cave art.

Head of Mission: André Prous