[1][2] The waterfall has been known to the indigenous population of the São Francisco River basin since time immemorial and to Portuguese colonizers since the 16th century.

In 1912, the São Francisco River was dammed by the Hidrelétrica de Angiquinho upstream of the falls.

[3] In the early 1940s, the Brazilian government sponsored the expansion of the Hidrelétrica de Angiquinho to provide much of the semi-arid interior with a reliable source of electricity.

[4] Construction of the Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex began in 1948, which greatly reduced the volume of water flowing over the falls.

Since the completion of the hydroelectric complex, the falls have acted as a natural spillway during high rainfall years.