Parati: History and Culture
Parati (Paraty), Brazil: History of Gold, Slaves and Sugar
With its history of slaves and pirates, this unashamed tourist town on Brazil's east coast is a top place in which to get away from Rio de Janeiro's noise and hustle.
Parati's history of gold, piracy, slaves and sugar is as turbulent as Brazil's. Founded in 1600, within 200 years the town was the second most important port in Brazil. The main export was gold, brought down from the mines along the infamous Caminho de Ouro, or Gold Trail. The main import at that time was slaves, transported in shiploads to Brazil in order to work the mines around Minas Gerais.
Piracy and Sugar Production in Parati
Piracy put an end to Parati's success as a port town – to avoid the dangerous waters, another gold trail was created straight from the mines to Rio de Janeiro. So Parati instead set its huge population of slaves to producing sugar and its potent liquor cachaça. Cachaça or pinga, as it was sometimes known, was for a time synonymous with Parati. You can still visit the old distilleries and buy some authentic cachaça to pour into your caipirinha.
Abolishment of Slavery
Parati’s economy depended entirely upon slavery, and when slavery was finally abolished in 1888 the residents fled en masse – in a matter of weeks the population of 16,000 dropped to 600 and the town was forgotten. Rediscovered in 1954, it was declared a national historic monument 12 years later and now supports a thriving tourism industry.
The abandoned 19th-century houses have been imaginatively transformed into shops, bars, restaurants, museums and cultural centres, and in summer the lumpy, stone-filled streets are heaving with local and foreign visitors. The former pirate-infested beaches are now lined by bars and kiosks selling cold beers, caipirinhas and coconuts. The port is now bobbing with schooners and small converted fishing boats offering day trips round the bay.
Brazilian Festivals and Events
Festivals and cultural events pack out the calendar. You won't see an event like the Bloco da Lama anywhere else – on this day, hundreds of people splatter themselves in mud from the nearby Jabaquara beach and parade through the streets imitating cavemen.
More literary types should go for the Festa Literaria Internacional de Paraty (FLIP) in August. Well-known writers from every genre flock from all over Brazil and the world to take part in four days of readings, workshops, shows and other celebrations of literary culture. A full list of this year's events can be found on the tourist information website.
Tourist Information Parati
Parati is 241km south of Rio along the BR-101. There are regular buses to and from Rio’s central bus station with Costa Verde, which also stop at the pretty fishing village of Angra dos Reis (4 hours, R$44 (US$25) one way, book in advance at weekends). The telephone code is (24). Internet access, banks, shops, pharmacies and other services are plentiful.
The official tourist information office can be found on Av. Roberto Silveiro at the entrance to the historic centre, 3371 6553. Another useful source of information, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, is the Eco Parati website.
Organised Tours
There are numerous tour agencies scattered in and around the centre. The biggest of these is Paraty Tours (Rua Roberto Silveiro, next to tourist information, 3371 1327), but other agencies offer variations with bike hire, trips in kayaks and jeeps and visits to a cachaça distillery.
Whatever you like to do, there is plenty to keep you busy in Parati. You should also have no trouble finding places to eat, sleep, drink and party.
