Imagine a place that stoppped in time and you can go back million yrs… Lajedo of Soledad, one of the most important archaeological sites in Brazil, is located in the western region of Rio Grande do Norte, in the municipality of Apodi, 12 km from the city center. The municipality has about 33,000 inhabitants and is located about 335 km from Natal (about 4 hours and 30 minutes by car) and 76 km from Mossoró, the second largest city in the state. Natal is called The Sun City and has sunshine all year round.

Located in an area of ​​one square kilometer of limestone, Paleolithic period, Lajedo of Soledad was almost destroyed by the producers of lime in the region. But the intervention of Petrobras geologists and of the inhabitants of the district of Lajedo in the early 90s, stoppped The exploitation saving this site.

In flagstones, researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte ( where I graduated as a journalist) found fossils of prehistoric animals like sloths and giant armadillos, tigers and mastodons-of-tooth-desabre who lived in the Northeast Glacial period, and cave paintings .

The flagstone consists of an area of ​​limestone that suffered erosion from rainfall, opening a mini canyon with caves and crevices where the petroglyphs are engraved, representing figures of species that would macaws, parrots, herons, lizards and geometric shapes . Has been the subject of 30-minute documentary on BBC London. Occupied pages of magazines and newspapers of national and international circulation. Was the subject of numerous reports on TV and several other media outlets in Brazil. It is an inexhaustible source of scientific knowledge to hundreds of researchers, including the most respected in the world. Receives per month, up to 700 visitors, of which 90% are students and teachers
Several panels of these paintings which are still preserved in a dry river bed, which can be observed in visits accompanied by guides. According to researchers, the designs of these paintings have been made by Indians who inhabited the region in pre-historic period.

The area of ​​the flagstone is situated less than 300 meters from the village houses of the residents of this district, which is 6 km from the right bank of the BR-405, which connects Mossoró to Apodi. Access is by paved road only.

According to geologists Petrobras, which in the 90s helped the population to create the Foundation of Friends of Lajedo Soledad (FALS) and installing Museum and Activity Center Lajedo (CAL), there are 90 million years, all area was covered by a shallow sea, the retreating Leffers a large expanse of limestone.
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