PEDRA DAS LETRAS: ARTE RUPESTRE NO CENTRO-OESTE DE PIRIPIRI, BRASIL.

The Pedra das Letras archaeological site is located in the Barro village, a rural area in the municipality of Piripiri, Piauí, Brazil. The aim of this paper is to present the first data from the survey of this archaeological site, which has recently been registered at the IPHAN, as well as the main problems affecting its degradation. Pedra das Letras consists of a sandstone block containing a small elevated rock shelter and a side niche with red rock paintings. 58 paintings were found on the rock wall at the back of the shelter, and seven handprints have been identified in the side niche. The most frequent figure in the pictorial panels is the handprint, with 45 representations of this motif having been identified, made using different execution techniques. The remaining figures were attributed to the abstract class, some of them without a clearly defined outline. The main conservation problems include the advanced state of degradation of the sandstone, insect nests (such as termites and wasps), salt efflorescence, wear and tear caused by rainwater, and plants attached to the rock block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]