Echoes of the Dead: Burial Caves and Sacred Landscapes of the Southern Jê

Deep within the forests and hills of southern Brazil, burial caves once held the remains of the Southern Jê, a people whose funerary practices spanned centuries. Their dead were not simply buried but placed in hidden rock shelters, where time and nature slowly reclaimed them. By the end of the first millennium CE, another tradition emerged: elaborate mound and enclosure complexes (MECs), highly visible structures perched atop hilltops. These contrasting burial customs have puzzled archaeologists for decades. Were they markers of social hierarchy, or did they reflect a deeper cultural transformation?

Gruta do Matemático burial cave. Credit: Unknown photographer. Photo ceded by MARSUL. From de Lima et al. 2025

A new study, published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology¹, examines these burial landscapes to better understand their significance. Researchers Luiz Phellipe de Lima, Daniela Klokler, and MaDu Gaspar analyzed radiocarbon dates and mapped the spatial relationships between these sites, offering new insights into how the Southern Jê treated their dead—and what these choices reveal about their beliefs.