Cunha,

Parati’s forgotten sister

by Marcos Santilli

Same history

Cunha and Parati have experienced the same periods of effervescence and stagnation during the last 500 years, depending on use as a route, a topographically convenient corridor or a gateway through which to convey the wealth of successive economic cycles, based long ago on gold and coffee, now on tourism.

Thanks to Cunha’s relative isolation, the local popular culture has remained intact and vigorous, with little or no influence from the burgeoning tourism industry. The municipality is large, with an area comparable to the city of São Paulo, yet half of its 25,000 inhabitants live in rural areas tucked away amid steep valleys and forbidding mountain ranges.

The history of Cunha and Parati owes a great deal to their unique geography, and it is perhaps no coincidence that both their spectacular scenery and equally dramatic history are so little known. The presence of Europeans is first recorded at Aparição, a rural neighbourhood of Cunha, in 1596. They would stop there for a well-earned rest after the steep ascent of Serra do Mar, camping at a place called Boca do Sertão, the “maw of the wilderness”. The arduous climb was the worst part of the long trek from Parati, then a strategic port, into the vast hinterland of Brazil.

Falcão or Facão was another old name of this increasingly important crossroads for the swelling migratory flows fuelled by gold strikes at the turn of the 17th century in Sertão dos Cataguás, Minas Gerais, a thousand miles from the sea.

In 1709 a fleet of 97 ships carrying Portuguese migrants arrived in Brazil, escorted by eight warships for protection against pirates. The passengers disembarked already in the thrall of gold fever. The spell was cast by the legend of Sabarabuçu, the Brazilian Eldorado, later to inspire the naming of Sabará, a gold town in Minas Gerais. This was the first gold rush, long before California, Klondike, Alaska, Argentina or South Africa. It changed Brazil’s colonial society from top to bottom, flooding it with unprecedented riches and migrants. Portugal itself was transformed.

Cunha was the gateway. All those who crossed the Atlantic passed through Cunha on their way to the successively discovered alluvial deposits of gold and gemstones in Minas Gerais, where they settled and built towns and cities.

Paving stones on the Old Gold Trail near the Portuguese Imperial toll house of Registro da Cachoeira

Detail of a 17th-century retaining wall built by slaves on the authentic Old Gold Trail, Caminho Velho do Ouro

Frontiersmen and pirates in the 16th century

For a generation or so after they discovered Brazil, the Portuguese did little to explore the vast interior: “being great conquerors of territories, they fail to make proper use of them, contenting themselves with scratching away at the seashore like crabs”, wrote Brazil’s first native historian 1.No doubt daunted by the towering escarpment that runs along much of the seaboard from north to south, they concentrated on clearcutting the Atlantic rainforest for its precious hardwoods and building forts to defend the coast against rival naval powers as well as buccaneers, privateers and pirates.

In response to the financial crisis caused by threats to Portugal’s spice trade, alongside French and Spanish incursions in Brazil, in 1530 João III sent Martim Afonso de Souza to survey the new territory for precious stones and metals. In 1532 Martim Afonso founded São Vicente, the first European settlement in Brazil. In 1560, by order of Mem de Sá, Martim Afonso sent Brás Cubas to explore the interior. The expedition scaled the escarpment and found a pass to the upland plateau now called Planalto Paulista by way of an ancestral trail used by the Guayana Indians. The colonizers continued the trek to Minas Gerais via the Paraíba river with the aid of other Indian tribes, who were ingenuously hospitable to the newcomers. Colonisation of the interior had begun.

The first man to leave written impressions about the ascent from Parati to Cunha was Anthony Knivet (or Knyvett), 2 an Englishman who sailed on a privateer skippered by Thomas Cavendish, famous for having led the third expedition to circumnavigate the globe (1586-88). During this particular voyage Cavendish looted Santos and burned down São Vicente just before Christmas 1591. He returned some months later for a repeat attack but was repelled by the Portuguese, who killed many of the men under his command. Cavendish put Knivet ashore, together with 27 other men (sick and wounded as well as deserters), on the island of São Sebastião not far from São Vicente. Knivet had contracted frostbite in the Straits of Magellan and his chances of survival looked better ashore. The men were shortly set upon by Portuguese from Rio de Janeiro and their Indian allies. A few survived, among them Knivet, who pretended to be a Catholic. He was taken prisoner and eventually forced to work as a bondservant of Salvador Correa de Sá, Governor of Rio de Janeiro.

Knivet, who was the illegitimate son of an English aristocrat and could read and write, took part in seven expeditions into the uncharted wilds of the interior led by Martim Correa de Sá, the governor’s son. He kept the official log and described how the Portuguese hunted Indians for slaves and looked for precious stones and metals.

According to him, a 1596 expedition comprising 700 Portuguese and 2,000 Indians disembarked at Parati and ascended the Guayana trail to fight or win over the Tamoyo, then allied with the French. It sounds far-fetched but in early colonial times explorers and bushwhackers thought little of such feats. Thousands would pick their way through the dense tropical forest in singe file, their flimsy footwear sticking in the mud, slipping and sliding in the rotting leaves and other organic matter, following the Indian trail as it snaked around treacherous rocky surfaces and deep gullies through mist or thick rain on the steep mountainside towards the “upland village” near present-day Cunha.

Old Gold Trail: starting the descent

Cunha

High street: Rua Casemiro da Rocha

Cunha town centre

Built on a hilltop 900 metres (2,900 feet) above sea level and surrounded by even higher summits, Cunha is a town of narrow streets with few buildings except churches that survive from the colonial times when the mule trains would pass through carrying gold to Parati. It still boasts one or two town houses dating from the apogee of the coffee cycle, as well as a few rammed-earth façades. The streets are mostly lined with plain and simple houses facing narrow pavements typical of the period when transport was four-legged. Some buildings have been conserved in their original form but many have been refurbished with new stucco, windows and doors.

The municipal market is small but charming, a typical covered market with an old iron fountain behind it. Not far away is a house where the Duke of Caxias, patron of the Brazilian army, was a guest when it was a hostelry in 1842.

Holy Ghost Festival in Cunha: preparing for the procession outside Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church

The church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception has Baroque statuary and ornamentation Construction began in 1731 but the church has since been rebuilt, although its 1.10-metre-thick rammed-earth walls have been preserved. It is the town’s centrepiece, its bells ringing for festivals, funerals, mass, and lost identity papers. The church of Our Lady of the Rosary & St. Benedict, dating from 1793, is known as the “church of black people” because it was built for use by slaves and funded by their donations.

Town square in front of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church

The town square in front of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church is quiet but almost always full of ordinary people networking, doing deals or just whiling away the time of day (or night). Many sport stetsons and riding boots. It’s also used for religious processions and other rites. On occasion, especially in the tourist season, it vibrates to the sound of music, when local festivals and concerts are held there on a stage surrounded by food stalls and booths selling arts and crafts. Exemplifying Cunha’s hospitality and charm, Cidinha’s confectionery is a standing temptation, its shop window overlooking the square with mouth-watering pastries, jams, jellies and other goodies, all home made.

The tranquil town centre was transformed into a theatre of war during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution. This began as a revolt led by São Paulo when liberals and diehard conservatives were furious at being ousted from national power in 1930 by Getúlio Vargas. The Paulista HQ was installed at Cunha, which held out for three months against advancing federal troops. Eventually the government forces, which were numerically superior, also proved militarily more effective and the Paulistas lost.

Rua Casemiro da Rocha, the main street, by day

Networking in the town square

Raku kiln opening

Potters

Cunha once had dozens of small factories producing earthenware pots and cooking vessels of great aesthetic value, derived from Amerindian designs. This cottage industry has practically disappeared but some say its spirit was revived 30 years ago when a group of young potters, some Japanese, some Portuguese, moved to Cunha for its excellent clay and founded what is now considered the most important centre of authored ceramics in Brazil. The town now has some 20 world-class pottery studios thanks to the training performed by the first wave and the arrival of other artists who moved in later.

The new techniques adopted and developed by this active and growing group have made Cunha famous for the sophistication of its production, a shining example of contemporary Brazilian ceramic art. It is a moving and highly enjoyable experience to visit the studios. Many hold regular Kiln Openings, offering an insight into the craft and an opportunity to buy pottery fresh from the kiln. These are festive occasions where visitors can watch the potters at work, talk to them about their art, and attend slide presentations and workshops, enjoying the unpredictability of the clay-making and glazing process with its random patterns and hues. Ornamental and utilitarian wares of exceptionally high technical and artistic quality are on sale, and at certain times Noborigama or Raku kilns can be seen in operation. Short courses are held to teach the rudiments of pottery, from preparing the clay to throwing, coiling, glazing and firing.

Cunha is one of only a few places in the world with so much production using traditional Japanese Noborigama (climbing) wood-fired kilns. In Japan itself their use is increasingly rare owing to the cost of firewood. Cunha’s potters also use electric and gas Raku kilns. The diversity of themes, styles and techniques permits a unique insight into the high-temperature ceramics universe.

More - www.cunhaceramica.info / www.mecc.art.br / www.noborigama.com / www.icccunha.org

Poente visto do bairro Vila Rica

Attractions

Good restaurants, simple or sophisticated, have made Cunha an increasingly popular destination for the gourmet tourist. The region produces an abundance of high-quality organic food, from pine nuts and chestnuts to shitake and shimeji mushrooms, honey, cheese (including goat’s cheese and buffalo cheese), and delicious fresh vegetables and herbs.

Cunha has an age-old tradition of cachaça making. Cachaça is a strong alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from sugarcane juice. The tradition is constantly reinvigorated by the emergence of new labels. Guided visits to distilleries using the time-honoured alambic copper pot still show how the spirit is made. Tastings of fine premium cachaças, some with delicious fruity flavours, are also available. Wine tasting parties, too, are increasingly frequent, and the town has a good distributor of fine wines that are also served by the local hotels and restaurants.

There is no shortage of children’s attractions in the region either, including a goat farm, a buffalo farm, waterfalls for bathing, and horse, mule and cart rides, among others. For family outings there is trout fishing, forest trails, and walks of all kinds, lengths and degrees of difficulty. Lovers of adventure sports can try hang gliding – some say it’s the most sensational flying experience you can have. Take a look at Google Earth!

Congada

Popular festivals

For weeks culminating on January 6, Epiphany in the western Christian calendar, groups of players known as Folia de Réis do the rounds at Christmas every year to commemorate the visitation of the Magi (Réis Magos) to the child Jesus. These ensembles of peasant musicians and dancers dressed in traditional costume undertake a ritual journey around the countryside visiting farms and homes to exchange the Kings’ blessings for material donations and singing special verses to honour their hosts accompanied by guitars, drums, tambourines and accordions.

Corpus Christi is celebrated in June with a grand procession. Most of the town parades through the streets on brightly coloured carpets of petals, sawdust and coffee grounds, passing balconies and windows decorated with banners and flowers.

The banner of the Holy Ghost (Divino Espírito Santo) is carried for months through the countryside in a ritual journey culminating in a great feast at Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church in the town centre in July. The Feast of the Holy Ghost (Festa do Divino) originated in Portuguese Sebastianism and was once found throughout the interior of Brazil. Sadly it is increasingly rare today. Cunha preserves the tradition, alongside many Afro-Brazilian social and religious dramatic dances including congada, jongo and moçambique, as well as cavalcades, novenas, processions and reisados. The town holds a Summer Festival in January and a Winter Festival in July, both including shows and concerts in the central square.

In April, men and women from all parts of the town and surrounding region ride through the town centre wearing their best traditional dress, with ornate leather hats and saddles in a cavalcade in honour of St Benedict the Moor.

The Pine Nut Festival (Festival do Pinhão) is held in May when the pine nuts ripen and fall. Shows, concerts and other cultural activities are offered, and restaurants and hotels serve a varied array of dishes made with pine nuts.

The June Cycle, which coincides with the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, consists of a succession of feast days dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, St John the Baptist and St Peter. In Cunha everyone hosts or takes part in traditional and authentic celebrations in the rural districts. These parties resemble harvest festivals in some ways, with singing and dancing around a bonfire and plenty of goodies such as hot toddy made with cachaça, cinnamon, ginger and lime (quentão), roast sweet potato, roast pine nut, and corn on the cob.

Catholic ceremony during Feast of Holy Ghost

Mass during Feast of Holy Ghost

Congada

Partial view of Cachoeira do Pimenta

Ecotourism

The number of waterfalls to be seen in and around Cunha is truly impressive. Around 70 are catalogued, but you will often discover smaller ones yourself while exploring. Cachoeira do Pimenta and Cachoeira do Desterro are the best-known and most visited.

The Serra do Mar State Park contains a large acreage of untouched Atlantic rainforest with many trails and waterfalls. Guides are available to accompany visitors during daylight hours. The warden’s office is located about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the hotel at the end of the Estrada do Paraibuna, an unmade road that runs along the meandering Paraibuna, a tributary of the legendary Paraíba. The road traverses charming rural neighbourhoods full of life and culture, many of them home to artists. Don’t miss Fogão de Lenha, the inexpensive restaurant with genuine homestead food cooked on a wood-fire stove (hence the name).

Serra da Bocaina National Park is also nearby, straddling the border between São Paulo State and Rio de Janeiro State. These huge parks form a permanent belt of primary tropical forest around the municipality on its western side.

Elsewhere much of the area was cleared of trees for charcoal production in the second half of the 20th century, followed shortly afterwards by dairy cattle farming and the spread of forage grass (Brachiaria brizantha), which radically changed the landscape, soil, water table and, as a result, the climate. But reforestation has proceeded apace in recent years. Cunha is now a Water Source Protection Area (APM) and has rehabilitated its springs and river beds thanks to the work of Serra Acima, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to environmental conservation and tourist guide training, offering a career choice for local youngsters, especially from rural areas.

Church of São José da Boa Vista, the oldest in Cunha

From Cunha to the mountain tops

The scenic road takes you over the mountain tops, affording fine views on both sides of the chains of undulating highlands, peaks and scarps stretching away as far as the horizon, with Serra da Mantiqueira clearly visible in the distance. Geographers appropriately refer to this landscape as a “sea of hills”.

A few miles outside Cunha the small church of São José da Boa Vista, the oldest in Cunha (1724), is a spectacular sight. It was built even before the town, when a settlement was still being planned. According to legend the parish priest, backed by the extraordinary patrimonial power of the Church at that time, would carry a statue of the saint to the site of the present-day town church (Our Lady of Immaculate Conception), saying it had vanished from Boa Vista and reappeared there. This unquestionably confirmed his choice of location for the settlement, he claimed.

Part of the Historic House at Pousada dos Anjos as it is today – former site of the old hostelry at Aparição, called Pareçã by the Guayana Indians

Our discoveries at Aparição

When we moved to Aparição three years ago, we were unaware of its importance as a historical and archaeological site. All we knew was that it was on the Old Gold Trail.

One day we were digging a small ditch to lay some new pipes and were surprised to make a genuine archaeological find. There were horseshoes, nails, coins, pottery shards – and on another occasion a neighbour found a nineteenth-century silver dagger.

From books and old documents, and with help from friends who are historians, we confirmed evidence and obtained answers to many questions that we had been wondering about ever since we came to Aparição. The name itself had always intrigued us. Explanations given by long-time residents were implausible and unsatisfactory.

When we at last hit upon the origin of the place name Aparição, the discovery gave us a manifest indication of its historical importance. We found many documents that mentioned Aparição, but the clearest evidence was Itinerário Geográfico, a guidebook “with a true description of the roads, trails, farms, villages, places, towns and mountains between the town of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and the Gold Mines” written by Francisco Tavares de Brito (Seville, 1732). Brito had been sent by João V’s private secretary, Alexandre de Gusmão (Santos, 1695-Lisbon, 1753), to help map the South American lands claimed by the Portuguese and prepare diplomatic negotiations with Spain leading up to the Treaty of Madrid, signed in 1750. At one point in the book he states that Guaratinguetá “is on the route from Parati known as the Old Trail [Caminho Velho], which runs from Parati to Bananal [Fazenda Muricana], climbs the impassable mountain range and comes to rest at Pareçã”.

Reading this was our eureka moment. “Aparição” comes from “Pareçã”, an Amerindian word, we realised. Unfortunately the Guayana were assimilated and their language is extinct, so we have no information on the meaning of the word. Some early explorers and frontiersmen such as Brás Cubas habitually adapted local Indian names into Portuguese phonetics and spelling to facilitate assimilation. We found ample documentation showing that Aparição was on the ancestral routes used by the Guayana from time immemorial when travelling through the forested mountains to or from the coast, and onwards to the Paraíba Valley and the upland plateau of central Brazil. We were delighted to discover that Pousada dos Anjos, where we live, is associated in this way with a centuries-old tradition of hospitality, rest and revictualling.

The old farmhouse at Aparição, formerly Pareçã, as it was before we moved in (now the Historic House at Pousada dos Anjos

The transformation of Aparição

The Portuguese learnt from the natives not just trails, paths, routes, but logistics for arduous journeys, the difficult art of surviving in the forests, how to identify edible plants and creatures, tool-making, and a great deal else — including washing more often than they ever had back in Portugal.

They adopted Pouso Pareçã, the waystation, and called it Aparição. According to historians, it was an obligatory stopping-place for the Guayana and, from the 16th century on, used intensely by Europeans, including Anthony Knivet, a “pirate”! This was because the distance from the foot of the escarpment that beetles over the coastline was exactly a day’s march. Aparição sits at the top of a fault in the rocky mountain tops. To the southeast, down on the shore, nestles Parati; in every other direction the way lies open to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Hunters of Indians, explorers, bushwhackers and other adventurers, priests, bishops, tax collectors, soldiers, functionaries of the Portuguese Crown, smugglers, traders, goldsmiths, governors, ladies, coffee barons and thousands of slaves, gypsies, artisans, miners, governors, aristocrats, farmers and migrants stopped overnight at Aparição for centuries.

I live at Aparição. I’m looking out of the window now as I write. I can see the rustic but well-conserved Aparição farmhouse, originally built as a wattle-and-daub cottage an estimated 200 years ago. Today it’s surrounded by an ample lawn with a pond full of ducks and serves as one of the hotel’s guesthouses. www.pousadadosanjos.com.br.

Fazenda Aparição during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution

In the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution the Historic House now at the centre of Pousada dos Anjos was militarily important because of its strategic location. This revolt, led by São Paulo, was a reaction to the seizure of national power in 1930 by Getúlio Vargas. Shortly after the civil war broke out, the Paulistas lost their position at Aparição to federal forces from Rio de Janeiro, which was then the capital of Brazil. The Historic House was used by Carioca troops as a command post and field hospital. The owners of the house, a family by name of Jango, were evicted and their property confiscated. Moacir Jango was born in Serra do Quebra-Cangalha, where his parents had taken refuge.

Only a mile or so from the hotel is the tomb of Paulo Virgínio, an inhabitant of Cunha remembered as a hero and martyr to the Paulista cause. A monument to the young man is also to be seen at the site. Tortured and executed by the forces of Vargas, he is said to have refused to give away the positions of the Constitutionalist troops. Others say he simply didn’t know.

Area occupied by federal forces in 1932, now the grounds of Pousada dos Anjos

Taboão toll house, built in 16th century and demolished in 1980s

Portuguese Imperial Customs and toll houses

In the early days of the gold rush the Portuguese Crown rapidly installed a toll house at a place called Taboão to control the circulation of gold at the start of the descent from Cunha to Parati, a narrow pass down the mountains believed by the authorities to be the only way to the port of Parati. The house was solidly built with thick adobe walls, massive hardwood doors and an upper floor with a panoramic view of the Old Gold Trail.

A few years later the mountains and forests were criss-crossed by secret smugglers’ paths for transporting gold to the creeks and inlets all along this part of the rugged coastline without paying taxes or tolls. So a new toll house was built at a place called Cachoeira, near Parati. This one was on a hill with a broad view of the port about 10 miles away. The idea was to prevent piracy as well as smuggling, while also controlling arrivals and departures of the ships that transported gold to the metropolis. Each bar of bullion had to be numbered and stamped with a special seal before lading.

The ruins of Casa dos Quintos still stand in the forest. This was a customs house, toll booth and military post manned by dragoons of the Portuguese Crown, tax collectors and inspectors who controlled the circulation of merchandise, gold and gemstones.

Unfortunately the Taboão toll house was demolished. In 1980 I was able to photograph it while it was still standing. These are the last pictures taken of the building, its grandeur blighted by holes in the roof and infiltration in the adobe walls. Like so many other traditional buildings in Cunha, this one was plundered for its beautifully wrought timber frame with traditional carved wood joinery, taken for use in homes built or restored at Parati when the tourist boom took off there, signalling the onset of a new economic cycle.

Old Gold Trail

The Old Gold Trail

You can still walk from Aparição to Parati like Indians and adventurers long ago. Or you can make the journey on horseback, as have many since the 17th century. Other ways available include cycling, flying by hang glider or ultralight, and riding a motorbike. You can even go by billy cart if that’s your style. Riding piggyback on an Indian or slave is out, although that’s how the elite did it in the 16th century. It’s a wonderful ramble as long as you’re fairly fit, taking about six hours and requiring a guide if you follow the authentic Old Gold Trail.

It was a tough slog through the undergrowth in the 16th and early 17th centuries, but slave labour thereafter laid paving stones for men and mules to use the Old Trail ever more intensely. Eventually it became a true thoroughfare thanks to Portuguese military engineering, which was surprisingly sophisticated for its time.

This feat of ingenuity and sheer hard labour can be contemplated by the walker as he or she follows long cobbled stretches that are almost intact but hidden in the forest and invisible to tarmac-bound motorists. A steep avenue of huge, rounded, well-laid setts, outside time and space. Virgin rainforest gradually repossessing drainage channels and retaining walls. An overpowering, awe-inspiring vision: impossible not to think of the blood, sweat and tears of the slaves who built it.

On the way you may well see exotic birds and other forest animals, not to mention lianas, ferns, bromeliads, orchids, bamboo and many other tropical plants, an amazing sample of the extraordinary diversity of the Atlantic rainforest. The trail is interspersed with limpid springs that gather to form rapids and waterfalls, culminating at Cachoeira da Pedra Branca, ideal for a refreshing bathe at the end of the descent. This is the best outing for a visitor to Cunha and certainly its least-known.

Old Gold Trail between Cunha and Parati

Cunha-Parati road: just over 25 miles, about five unsurfaced

Cunha-Parati road

The SP-171 is a metalled road linking Cunha to Parati, but a little over 5 miles (9 kilometres) are unpaved. Any car can make it with a secure and experienced driver. I suggest a 4x4 without mechanical problems and with CDs of music by Villa-Lobos, Egberto Gismonti, Milton Nascimento or Toninho Horta. Don’t forget swimming clothes, a sun hat, plenty of sun-block lotion and drinking water (it’s hot during the day), and warm pyjamas (it gets quite cool after sunset).

Some people think of it just as a lousy road. But in my view it’s one of the most fascinating trips around, merging history and geography like a gigantic tangle of scarred old lianas that have climbed the forested cliffs for millennia.

I recommend driving very slowly while observing the luxuriant vegetation, wonderful views imperceptible to those in a hurry, waterfalls, and animals. The 9 km of unpaved road are tough going, resembling a stony staircase. You won’t want the car to break down on that stretch, where cellphones don’t always work. Just like in the old days, you need a reliable means of transport. The entire trip from Cunha to Parati takes a little more than an hour. Crossing Serra do Quebra-Cangalha is an unrivalled experience, a spectacular journey through primaeval forest and past the uninhabited crags of the Bocaina National Park.

Remember that the Portuguese trailblazers took 96 years to reach this pass, at that time a threat to these intrepíd explorers who could not climb the towering granite redoubt in a single day. Many died of starvation, cold, bites by poisonous animals, banditry, and accidents in spectacular precipices. It was hard to hunt, impossible to keep a bonfire burning against the cold and humidity of the mountains – and they had to carry everything on their backs.

Cunha-Parati road after rain

View from the Old Gold Trail

Great Wall of culture

Everything changes when you reach the summit of the Cunha-Parati road and cross into Rio de Janeiro State, passing through the cusp of the great escarpment with its colossal rock formations. The temperature rises and it suddenly becomes humid. The tropical vegetation thickens as you begin the five-mile stretch of unpaved road and enter the Bocaina National Park. Banana groves and other species common to coastal areas appear. The climate here is unsuitable for grapes, pears, apples, chestnuts or pines. The dairy cattle so frequently seen in the uplands disappear and from now on we can look forward to the magnificent beaches strung all the way along the coast between São Paulo and Rio.

The mountains also symbolise a wedge between the culture of the coast and that of the vast hinterland. The ridge of this mountain range is the watershed that separates these two typical Brazilian cultures. For centuries Cunha and Parati, like Siamese twins joined at the hip by the Old Gold Trail, shared ancient Amerindian traditions that blended over time with Portuguese and African customs, given that they were the gateway for the slave trade with the Paraíba Valley and Minas Gerais. Albeit geographically so close, they remain surprisingly different, precisely because they are at opposite cultural poles.

Just one of the magnificent views from Pedra da Macela

Formidable construction of the landscape

Well before Adam’s appearance on earth, some 200-180 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous, Brazil was separated from Africa by a megatectonic event known as the Pangaea break-up. A huge inpouring of seawater into the rift thus formed created the Atlantic Ocean between the two new continental blocs.

The landscape was subjected to volcanic action in the remote past, with formation of the continental shelf followed by raising of interior plateaus and rifts that created the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira mountains, as well as the Andes. Intense climate variation and oscillations in sea levels in the Late Quaternary (between minus 100 metres and plus 3.20 metres), together with sedimentation and submersion, created the finest landscape in the world. Geologists have shown how this history is imprinted in the phenomenal granite rocks that delineate the northern coast of São Paulo and the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro.

geological map highlights the uniqueness of this magnificent landscape and the 800-1,800 metre granite ramparts that for almost a century kept the colonisers at bay.

Yet another magnificent view from Pedra da Macela

Stupendous views from Pico da Macela

The result of this radical geological history can be contemplated from the summit of Pedra da Macela, which beetles over the ocean from an altitude of 1,800 metres (5,900 feet): “... in clear weather the muleteers enjoyed a magnificent and privileged view of the coast of Rio de Janeiro with its countless islands on one hand, and the bay of Ubatuba on the other. Before them was the vast Atlantic and below them, Parati,” says the renowned geographer Aziz Ab’Saber. On the opposite side was “the sea of hills that so well represents the modelled wet tropical landscape of Atlantic Brazil” and within which Cunha lies. From Pedra da Macela you can also see the town of Angra dos Reis, the nearby nuclear plant and Saco do Mamanguá, a large inlet into the sheer escarpment surrounded by forest.

Compared with the massifs above, everything visible along the coast is very recent, including the paradisiacal islands and the fauna and flora. According to Ab’Saber, “some islands near the coast of southeastern Brazil were tall cliffs when the sea level was lower and became islands after the massive rise in the sea level linked to the resumption of tropicality in the last 10,000-12,000 years … We have battered and brutalised our natural heritage, yet it remains one of the most matchless settings on the face of the earth”

Cunha and church of São José da Boa Vista, with Serra da Mantiqueira in the background

Parati - view from road

Marcos Santilli © 2010
Pousada dos Anjos    www.pousadadosanjos.com.br    contato@pousadadosanjos.com.br
Rodovia Cunha-Parati, km 57    Caixa Postal 15    Tel 55 (12) 3111 8019    Cunha-SP   Brasil
 

Notes

1- Fr. Vicente do Salvador (1564-1635), a Bahia-born Franciscan friar and author of the first work to be called a history of Brazil (História do Brasil, 1627).

2- “The admirable adventures and strange fortunes of Master Antonie Knivet, which went with Master Thomas Cavendish in his second voyage to the South Sea. 1591”. In: Hakluytus posthumus: or, Purchas his pilgrimes, contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells, by Englishmen and others, (4 vols., 1625; 2nd ed., 20 vols., Glasgow, 1905-7).