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The Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre of Maranhão in São Luís holds a collection that includes gems. Even extinct, dinosaurs continue to cause fascination among people.
In the Archaeology area, you can see tools, ceramics, lithic materials, tiles, and other relics of the past.
In the Ethnology area, you will find the collection of indigenous peoples from thousands of years ago, telling the diversity and history of the Indians through the objects portrayed there.
In the Palaeontology exhibition room there are about 200 items on display of fossils and replicas of prehistoric species found in Maranhão.
In the Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre you can find animals from the mega fauna and other exotic species in smaller dimensions that millions of years ago inhabited the planet, such as the dinosaur species Spinosaururs, Titanosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus.
There are also replicas of fish from the Cretaceous genus Maranhão and Candidodon crocodiles.
Centro de Pesquisa de História Natural e Arqueologia do Maranhão
The faithful copy of the Carcharodontosaurus head is 1.7 metres wide by 1.5 metres high.
Spinosaurs, whose fossil was found in Maranhão, more precisely on Cajual Island, a few hours by boat from São Luís, is the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever recorded in Brazil.
In the Research Centre, the palaeontology, archaeology and ethnology rooms together comprise around 900 exhibits that give today’s man a little insight into the culture and daily life of men from past eras. There are 200 items in Palaeontology, 500 in Archaeology and 200 in Ethnology.
The Centre was the pioneer in Maranhão to carry out research, monitoring and rescue of sites in the interior and in the capital, and the area of the Historic Centre of São Luís was the target of the first excavation.
The agency’s team actively participates in national partnership projects.
The work in the area resulted in mapping and identification of fossiliferous sites in Maranhão. According to the coordinator of the Palaeontology sector, Agostinha Araújo, more than 3,000 pieces of fossils were collected.
Where: Rua do Giz, 59 – Praia Grande
When: Visiting hours: Monday to Friday from 2pm to 6pm.
Tourism and travel guide to São Luís in Maranhão
