Maranhão Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre

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The Maranhão Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre, located in São Luís, houses a collection of pieces and relics from the past. Although extinct, dinosaurs continue to fascinate people.

Centro de Pesquisa de História Natural e Arqueologia do Maranhão — Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre of Maranhão

Archaeological Collection

In the Archaeological area you can see tools, ceramics, lithic materials, tiles and other important relics. This collection provides a rich insight into the cultures that inhabited the region.

Centro de Pesquisa de História Natural e Arqueologia do Maranhão

Ethnology and Cultural Diversity

The Ethnology section contains a collection of indigenous peoples dating back thousands of years, which tells the story of the diversity and history of Indians through the objects it contains. This collection is fundamental to understanding the traditions and lifestyles of these communities.

Palaeontology

The Palaeontology Exhibition Room has around 200 items on display, including fossils and replicas of prehistoric species found in Maranhão. At the centre you can see animals from the megafauna and other exotic species that inhabited the planet millions of years ago, such as the dinosaurs Spinosaurus, Titanosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus.

Peças do Centro de Pesquisa de História Natural e Arqueologia do Maranhão — Pieces from the Maranhão Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre

Replicas and exhibitions

The collection also includes replicas of Cretaceous fish from Maranhão and crocodiles from the genus Candidodon. The exact copy of the head of the Carcharodontosaurus is 1.7 metres wide and 1.5 metres high.

The Spinosaurus, whose fossil was found in Maranhão, more precisely on Cajual Island, a few hours by boat from São Luís, is considered to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever recorded in Brazil.

Contributions and projects

The Research Centre brings together the Palaeontology, Archaeology and Ethnology rooms, which together contain around 900 exhibits that give modern man a glimpse of the culture and daily life of people in past eras: There are 200 items in palaeontology, 500 in archaeology and 200 in ethnology.

The Centre has been a pioneer in Maranhão, carrying out research in the recovery, monitoring and rescue of sites in the interior and in the capital, and the area of the Historical Centre of São Luís was the target of the first excavation. The agency’s team actively participates in partnership projects at the national level.

Work in the area has led to the mapping and identification of fossil sites in Maranhão. According to the coordinator of the palaeontology sector, Agostinha Araújo, more than 3,000 pieces of fossils have been collected.

Visitor Information

Address: Rua do Giz, 59 – Praia Grande
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, from 14:00 to 18:00.

This centre is an important reference point for tourism and research in the city of São Luís, Maranhão.

Written by Willy Sievert

Editor of Bahia.ws since its founding in 2009. Based in Salvador, he travels frequently across the Northeast and all of Brazil to keep the guides up to date. Learn more about Willy Sievert →

Published on 30/11/2021 · Updated on 14/05/2025