Estrada Real - Magé

It’s been a long journey, travelling through mountainous terrain, alongside rivers, through villages and cities. I arrived in Magé where the Estrada Real ended.

Historically, Magé played a very important role in the development of Brazil, being one of the first towns to emerge after its discovery in 1500. Magé began as a village in 1566 under the name Magepe-Mirim. Located on the Guanabara Bay, Magé’s economic activity centred around maritime trading. As Magé prospered it was elevated to parish status and by 1857 it was granted city status.

The first railway in South America was built here when the Mauá railroad connected Guia de Copaiba on the coast to Fragoso (both districts of Magé) over a track length of 9mi (15km). This was the beginning of railroad building that would eventually carry imported goods to the mining regions of Minas Gerais. Magé was the busiest port in colonial Brazil where extracted gold from Minas was shipped to Portugal.

With the abolition of slavery, former slaves left the region and most of the plantations disappeared. Thus began a gradual decline in the area until the 20th century when textile manufacturing moved in.

Today, there’s little evidence of its prosperous years, except for remnants of a railway turntable, a small station and a short section of narrow-gauge rail track at the end of a pier that at one time would have been part of a port.

It seemed fitting to finish here at the end of the railway track overlooking the bay. I imagine how busy the port was hundreds of years ago as ships sailed in with Portuguese goods and sailed out with gold and other treasures. A lot has changed, cities have grown and developed yet at the same time many have remained the same. Some may seem as if they’re stuck in a time capsule, others protect and preserve their history for future generations.

On that note I bid you farewell.



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Estrada Real - Tiradentes

Tiradentes is over 300 years old and like most of the villages and cities on this route, sprung up as a result of the mining industry during the colonial era. Elevated to city level in 1718, it was originally named Vila de São José do Rio das Mortes. The town was renamed Tiradentes, after the failed conspiracy of 1789 known as Inconfidência Mineira (Minas Gerais Conspiracy).

Tiradentes was the leader of the conspiracy. He was born in a nearby village as Joaquim José da Silva Xavier and trained as a pharmacist and dentist. Because of his dental profession he was nicknamed Tiradentes (meaning tooth puller).

Tiradentes became dissatisfied with the state's continual poverty. The decline in gold production put a lot of pressure on the state to fulfil the quota demanded by the crown. Then he met José Alvares Maciel, who had just returned from England, where he had seen Britain's industrial progress. Inspired by the idea of freedom and progress, a group of freedom aspirants was formed. Membership consisted of businessmen, public servants and professional writers. Together they spread their ideas of freedom and independence among the people with the intent to take to the streets in Ouro Preto and declare Brazil as a republic.

The plot was exposed by an insider who traded the information on the conspiracy for a tax waiver. The group was arrested and tried over a period of three years. Tiradentes, who claimed full responsibility for the conspiracy, was sentenced to death and publicly hanged.

In 1889 Brazil became a republic and a national holiday was proclaimed on the anniversary of Tiradentes’ death. Revered as a national hero, his moniker has been used in public squares, streets and includes the 11th Infantry Battalion Mountain Regiment Tiradentes, an army unit specialising in difficult mountainous terrain.

On a lighter note, Tiradentes is home to a narrow-gauge railway track that was part of the late 19th century Minas Gerais railway networks. When large parts of the railroad were closed and tracks removed, a stretch of 8mi (13km) was retained to be used for tourism. Using steam locomotives, the railway operates between Tiradentes and São João Del Rei, Brazil’s largest railway museum.

Tiradentes is a lovely, quiet city retaining well-preserved old mansions on cobblestone streets. Artisanal shops line the streets and rumours suggest that it has quite the gastronomic culture. Curious about duck rice, a local reinvention of a Portuguese dish, I went in search of a serving.

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Estrada Real - Catas Altas

I rolled into Catas Altas with the anticipation of new curiosities. Situated amongst verdant rolling hills, Catas Altas is a small village. At the height of the Minas Gerais gold rush Catas Altas became one of the richest and most populous villages in Brazil. Once the mines were depleted most of the villagers left, leaving only a handful of residents.

I headed for the centre of town. Located in a public square was the Church of Our Lady of Conception with its wide frontage and corner towers facing the lofty Caraça Mountain. This church dates back to 1738, when the Portuguese controlled the interior and prohibited religious orders and missionary activities. The result was the development of new religious groups and the construction of churches. Our Lady's Church has a simple Rococo exterior, but it's richly carved inside with gilded carvings. The church was never completely finished, giving conservationists and historians an opportunity to study its architecture, the building techniques and the materials used.

A few miles northeast of the village is the Bicame de Pedra Aqueduct dating back to 1792. It was made entirely out of quartzite stone and its construction, inspired by Roman techniques of building without cement or mortar, can be observed in the centre of the portal’s arch where the stones are tightly packed together. The purpose of the aqueduct was to carry water from the Caraça Range to the town of Brumado, where gold was extracted and washed. Only about 200m of the wall remains with the highest point standing at 16ft (5m). A set of stone steps are embedded into the side of the wall allowing access to the top of the aqueduct.

As with most of Brazil, I didn’t have to travel far to find a waterfall. Taking a short side trip on my way out of town, I hiked to a scenic spot to enjoy the views of the valley, the railway track and the village with the Church of Our Lady proudly protruding above the rooftops. Before moving on to Ouro Preto, I enjoyed cooling off at Maquine Waterfall.

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Estrada Real - Serro

Serro is a small town tucked away in the mountains and surrounded by rivers and dozens of waterfalls. The Jequitinhonha River, located about 7.5mi (12km) west of the city, begins its flow in the nearby mountain range of Pedra Redonda and flows northeast for 625mi (1000km) emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river played an important role in the 16th century when Brazil was briefly divided into two governments and the river was the dividing point between the two. The river was also the location where the first diamonds were mined, producing much of Brazil’s earlier wealth.

 Neat little single and double storey houses line the narrow streets, some with six feet tall, whitewashed walls. As I meandered through the streets I stopped at a white house with blue trims and mellow yellow window shutters. The chandelier-like planter hanging from the veranda’s ceiling carried small pots of string of pearls, a small succulent, creeping vine with leaves that looked like peas. I could imagine whiling away a few hours with a cuppa, enjoying the peacefulness of the street.

 

The city of Serro is known for its cheese. Producing semi-cured cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and others, it is most famous for the Queijo do Serro, an artisanal semi-hard cheese. The recipe was originally brought from Portugal in the 18th century and later adapted locally to create a cheese with “greater acidity, light color and soft consistency”. The cheese is so special in Serro that it was granted Geographical Indication status which grants protected status and naming rights to locally created food products. The downside of such a designation in Brazil is that the product cannot be sold outside the state of Minas Gerais.

Pardon me, but I'm off to get some crackers and Queijo do Serro. I'm mighty hungry and salivating at the thought of cheese. What are the chances I can enjoy a hot cuppa on the verandah with the cheese?

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