Paraty – Brazil’s most beautiful small town
Brazil is home to many beautiful small colonial towns. With its exquisite Baroque architecture, stunning coastline, and tall mountains covered with pristine Atlantic Forest, Paraty is perhaps my favorite of all. Located conveniently half-way between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, it makes for a great long weekend trip from either of the cities.
Paraty’s tryst with the Gold Rush
Long before the Portuguese colonized Paraty, the region was inhabited by the Guaianás Indians. When the Portuguese established the town, it became an important stop on the Gold Trail. Inevitably, Paraty’s history got intertwined with the African slave trade. Over time, the Gold Rush brought a lot of riches to the town, and resulted in it being one of the most prosperous towns in the region. However, the introduction of Rio to Sao Paulo railway line sounded the death knell for the region as the port stopped being as important to the gold trade. After a relative lull, when the town’s population was reduced to less than a thousand people, the last couple of decades have seen Paraty become a tourism mainstay in the region.
Fortunately, the old town and its Boroque architecture have been very well preserved over the years, and in 2019, the historic quarter got designated as a UNESCO heritage site. The town’s cobbled streets and quiet life transport you to an era long bygone.
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