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 - Paraty

Emerging from the hinterland I was delighted to reach the coastal town of Paraty in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Located on the Bay of Ilha Grande, which is dotted with islands, the town is surrounded by lush tropical forests, mountains and waterfalls. Paraty is the end point of the Caminho Velho (Old Path) and I successfully completed the second leg of my journey.

Designated a UNESCO site in 2019, Paraty is a wonderfully preserved colonial town with cobbled streets. To protect the cobblestones, vehicles are prohibited in the historic centre. Only foot traffic and bikes are allowed, and horses and carts are frequently seen.

Settled by colonists in 1667, Paraty became an important port for exporting the gold mined in Minas to Lisbon, Portugal. Prior to the currently known Estrada Real, Portugal constructed the Caminho do Ouro (the Gold Trail), a 746mi (1200km) stone road connecting Diamantina via Ouro Preto to Paraty. As pirate attacks increased on gold laden ships, the government built the New Path, a safer overland route from Minas to Rio, completely by-passing Paraty.

With the new road in place and subsequent decline of gold in the late 18th century, Paraty was forgotten and frozen in time. The town was rediscovered when a main road was built between Rio and Santos passing through Paraty.

An interesting phenomenon occurs each month on a full moon. When the tide is high, water spills into the historic centre through openings in the seawalls, flooding the streets for a brief period of time. People living close to the seawalls will sometimes put out temporary bridges to help pedestrians cross the flooded streets.

Given its coastal location, Paraty has numerous stunning beaches that are easily reached on foot or by car. A handful of secluded beaches are also accessible via hiking trails or by boat. There are so many beach options that I am having a hard time deciding on where to go. But once done, I will head northeast to Barbacena where I will connect with Caminho Novo (New Path).



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The team at The Conqueror Challenges
https://www.theconqueror.events