Luzia Woman
Luzia's remains as displayed at the National Museum of Brazil in 2015 | |
| Catalog no. | Lapa Vermelha IV Hominid 1 |
|---|---|
| Common name | Luzia |
| Species | Homo sapiens |
| Age | 11,243–11,710 cal BP |
| Place discovered | Pedro Leopoldo, Brazil |
| Date discovered | 1974 |
| Discovered by | Annette Laming-Emperaire |
Luzia Woman (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈzi.ɐ]) is the name for an Upper Paleolithic period skeleton of a Paleo-Indian woman who was found in a cave in Brazil. The 11,500-year-old skeleton was found in a cave in the Lapa Vermelha archeological site in Pedro Leopoldo, in the Greater Belo Horizonte region of Brazil, in 1974 by archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire.
The nickname Luzia was chosen in homage to the Australopithecus fossil Lucy. The fossil was kept at the National Museum of Brazil, where it was shown to the public until it was fragmented during a fire that destroyed the museum on September 2, 2018. On October 19, 2018, it was announced that most of Luzia's remains were identified from the Museu Nacional debris, which allowed them to rebuild part of her skeleton.