Since the 1960s, archaeologists have been studying a special type of ancient human settlement in southern Brazil, which can be seen at many sites on the plateau.

Since the 1960s, the archaeology of southern Brazil has focused on a unique type of ancient human occupation evident at numerous sites on the plateau.

The archaeological studies in southern Brazil have placed significant emphasis, since the 1960s, on a distinct form of ancient human habitation prevalent across the plateau in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, and notably in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Additionally, comparable findings have been unearthed in the vicinity of the coast in the southern region of Santa Catarina.

The Kaingang, representing one of the 305 extant ethnic groups in Brazil, established a presence on the southern plateau three millennia prior to the European influx. These settlements were identified as Proto-Kaingang, settlements of the Taquara Tradition, or Communities of Subterranean Dwellings. These constructs served as a means of insulation against the inclement winter conditions prevailing in the elevated regions of southern Brazil, known as the Cima da Serra fields. Constructing their residences below ground afforded protection from the formidable and wintry winds sweeping the plateau. On occasion, the walls were fortified with finer clay, resulting in an added layer of insulation.

The Kaingang people, alternatively referred to as caingangue in Portuguese or kanhgág in the Kaingang language, constitute an indigenous Brazilian ethnic group dispersed across the three southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, in addition to the southeastern state of São Paulo.