just to the west of rio de janeiro city, the park cuts into four of the state's municipalities, including mangalore, angra dos reis, rio claro and itaguaí. the unusual name of the park is a tribute to an old indigenous chief named cunhambebe, who was the leader of the confederação dos tamoios: a group of indigenous tribes that formed around 1560, and rebelled against the portuguese, obtaining numerous victories along the way.

state decree no. 41,358 officially created the cunhambebe state park in 2008, and was a decision that was initiated after environmental studies conducted by the instituto terra de preservação ambiental (itpa).