The Stone Faces of the Rio Negro
The account
The drought revealed mysterious faces carved into the rock, which only appear when the river nearly vanishes.
What investigators found
They are itacoatiaras, engravings made by Indigenous peoples roughly one to two thousand years ago, according to archaeologists.
The story
In October 2023, during one of the worst droughts ever recorded in the Amazon, the level of the Rio Negro at Manaus dropped so far that it exposed the rocks of the Ponta das Lajes archaeological site. Dozens of engravings appeared on them, many in the shape of human faces, along with grooves left by polishing tools. The images went around the world and drew curious visitors to the site.
These rock engravings, called itacoatiaras, were already known to archaeologists but are rarely visible. Researchers estimate they were made between one and two thousand years ago by peoples who lived in the region. Iphan, Brazil's national heritage institute, monitored the site to prevent damage. The real mystery is who these artists were and what the faces meant to them.