Canudos State Park, Archaeological site in Canudos, Bahia, Brazil.
This archaeological site spreads across 1,300 hectares of caatinga terrain where sparse plants, cacti, and bromeliads have adapted to the dry seasonal climate. A five-kilometer trail connects multiple archaeological locations, allowing visitors to explore the different areas and their findings.
The site preserves the battlefield from the War of Canudos in 1896-1897, when military forces fought against settlers led by Antônio Conselheiro. The northern portion of the original settlement now rests beneath the waters of Cocorobó Dam, built during the 1960s.
The park's stated purpose is to keep alive the memory of the followers of Antônio Conselheiro, the lay preacher who led the settlement destroyed in 1896–97. Its open-air museum displays a photographic exhibition on glass panels up to 4 metres high, with war photographs, a regional map and engravings of the country, alongside relics and signs marking the sites.
The park sits roughly 410 kilometers from Salvador and is reached via highway BR-235 on a paved road. Exploring on foot along the marked trail is the best way to see the different areas and archaeological features.
The park's ground still holds old rifle bullets, shrapnel and pottery fragments, and erosion in the shallow graves of the Vale da Morte uncovers bones. The 4-metre-high glass panels of the photographic exhibition show the war and its aftermath, with a map of the region and engravings of the country.
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