Ouro Preto is known for its baroque facades Its incredible architecture turned Ouro Preto into Brazil’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and its picturesque streets are filled with hidden gems and attractions to explore Nataly Regina / Shutterstock Tour City One of the best-known churches in Ouro Preto the Basílica Nossa Senhora do Pilar is a Catholic church in the historical center of the city Its construction started at the end of the 17th century and today remains in pristine condition with a gold-plated interior and intricately carved religious figures inside In order to protect the delicate artistic carvings inside – some which are centuries old – photos are prohibited of the church’s interior Roberto Sorin / Unsplash As part of the School of Pharmacy which is integrated into the Federal University of Ouro Preto, the Museum of Pharmacy is dedicated to the studies and professional practice of pharmacy and medicine between the 19th and 20th centuries in Ouro Preto The displays include a preserved archive of notes (some local and different types of medicine and drugs dating back to the 18th-century Pedrojanoti / Shutterstock Just on the outskirts of Ouro Preto is Itacolomi, a state park made up of mountainous landscapes and with natural attractions such as a picturesque waterfall and a lake that is safe to swim in. The park is popular among hikers who can enjoy the dozens of different paths in the park including the trek up the Itacolomi peak – one of the highest points in the region – which provides wide views over Minas Gerais The park also has a visitor center and a restaurant it’s still advisable to take water and snacks with you The Mine du Veloso is a former gold mine with 400 meters (1,312 feet) of underground chamber supported by pillars describing the history of Brazil’s search for gold and the various techniques employed by the enslaved Africans that worked there as well as discussing the day-to-day life and customs of the miners The tour is available in Portuguese and English Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Church of Saint Francis of Assisi Church StevanZZ / SHutterstock Designed by Aleijadinho – one of Brazil’s greatest baroque artists and sculptors – and constructed in 1768, the perfectly preserved Church of Francis of Assis is one of Ouro Preto’s most famous architectural landmarks. The inside of the church is richly decorated with golden woodwork and intricate religious figures (also carved by Aleijadinho) and the wooden ceiling displays the art of Manuel da Costa Ataide: hand-painted mural that took nine years to paint and is considered Ataide’s best masterpieces jontyson / unsplash The Museu do Oratório – the Oratory Museum – has a large collection of oratories and shrines that date back between the 17th and 20th centuries The museum is set inside the Casa do Noviciado where the baroque architect and artist Aleijadinho temporarily lived while working on the nearby Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo church Denise Jans / Unsplash Constructed in 1769 by João de Souza Lisboa and opened just a year later the Municipal Theater of Ouro Preto is one of the oldest in the Americas and supposedly the first in Brazil to allow women on the stage The modest facade of the theater contrasts with the elegance on the inside with the balconies and the seating preserving their colonial past The theater has regular shows including operas and orchestras © Luis Rizo / WikiCommons The Casa dos Contos museum is set inside an 18th-century building that was once a treasury house occasionally used as a temporary prison for those involved in the Inconfidência revolution the former mansion has been repurposed into a museum that guides visitors through the history of gold and money in Brazil The museum also decorates rooms to show how they may have looked centuries ago while in the basement there is a moving exhibition containing various slavery items Kris Hoobaer / Shutterstock Located between two main squares Praça Barão de Queluz and Praça Antonio Dias the Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição church is regarded as one of the country’s finest examples of architecture from the Barroco period It was initially built at the end of the 17th century although a lot of the church’s design was completed at the beginning of the 18th century by Manuel Francisco Lisboa It was an unsuccessful movement that fought for Brazilian independence from Portugal and is known as the Inconfidência Mineira The museum guides visitors through this history with main attractions including the tomb of Tiradentes (the man behind the revolution who was later hung in the gallows for his participation) and various manuscripts related to the revolt Vinicius Naves / Shutterstock Set inside the Matriz Nossa Senhora da Conceição church, the museum pays tribute to the architect Aleijadinho The display features Aleijadinho’s and other 18th-century artists’ masterpieces including religious figurines and finely-detailed crucifixes The exhibition is spread across a further two churches Igreja São Francisco de Assis and the Igreja Nossa Senhora das Mercês and it’s possible to walk between the three Praça Tiradentes is the city’s main square and is named in honor of Tiradentes a leader of an unsuccessful revolution for independence known as the Inconfidencia Mineira The square is edged by well-preserved buildings from over 250 years ago and the history of the area can be discovered in the Inconfidência Museum at the end of the square There are also several boutique shops and cafes for a pleasant afternoon shopping trip and a regional lunch pokmer / Unsplash Just outside Ouro Preto is the Minas de Passagem gold mine which opened in 1719 and is nowadays the largest gold mine accessible to the public in the world The tour of the mine takes visitors down the mine on an old cable car which shows the structure of the mines and explains their history and explores a part of the 30km (18.6 miles) of tunnels that make up the mine you can either drive or take a train to the Minas de Passagem and it’s doable to make it a day trip from the city and return the same evening © Kayo Scrocaro Hisatomi / WikiCommons Located on top of a small hill with steps leading up to the main entrance the Nossa Senhora das Mercês e Perdões church was completed in 1772 before being rebuilt in the mid-19th century It’s distinguishable by its colonial yellow and white exterior and the interior is modestly decorated with an ornate altar and religious figurines Sarah is a British freelance journalist and writer based in Rio de Janeiro Her favourite travel experiences so far include swimming with whale sharks in Mexico trekking through Rio's urban forest and enjoying the city life in Madrid See & Do The 15 Best Destinations to Visit in Brazil See & Do The Top Things to See and Do in Santa Catarina See & Do 15 Stunning Natural Wonders in South America That Will Take Your Breath Away Guides & Tips The Most Picturesque Spots in Sao Paulo See & Do A One-Week Rio de Janeiro Itinerary See & Do The Top 10 Things to Do in Curitiba See & Do 15 Must-Visit Attractions in Ouro Preto Guides & Tips A Complete Guide To Pão De Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) See & Do The 15 Best and Cheapest Places to Visit in South America See & Do The Best Hidden Gems In Rio de Janeiro Only Locals Know About Guides & Tips The Best Non-European Destinations to Escape to This Spring See & Do The Best Amazon Locations for Seeing Wildlife US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd Metrics details Atherosclerotic vascular changes can begin during childhood providing risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood Identifiable risk factors such as dyslipidemia accelerate this process for some children The apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene could help explain the inter-individual variability in lipid levels among young individuals and identify groups that require greater attention to prevent CVD A cross-sectional study was conducted with school-aged children and adolescents in Ouro Preto The study evaluated cardiovascular risk factors’ variables and XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene for associations with increased total cholesterol (TC) The prevalence of increased TC was notably high Carriers of the variant T allele were 1.45 times more likely to develop increased TC in a dominant model (1.09–1.94 excess weight and a family history of dyslipidemia interacted significantly with XbaI polymorphism in increased TC resulting in Odds Ratio of 1.74 (1.11–2.71 The results suggest that XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene may affect the lipid profile of Brazilian children and adolescents and could contribute to the CVD in adulthood Given its central role in lipid transport and metabolism examining the variations of the APOB gene could help explain some of the interindividual variation in lipid levels in young individuals and identify possible groups that require more prominent care to avoid cardiovascular problems in adulthood The analysis in children and adolescents fills a knowledge gap considering that the genetic implications in cardiovascular health from an early age are little explored The choice stands out for the search to overcome possible limitations of previous studies and for the prospect of identifying relevant clinical implications for long-term prevention it is increasingly important to understand the genetic variations predisposing cardiovascular risk to individualize diagnosis and treatment This study hypothesizes that the group with the highest number of CVRFs simultaneously with a risk genotype for the XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene will present a higher prevalence of increased TC when compared to wild-type homozygotes considering that there are few Brazilian studies on genetic risk factors for dyslipidemia in young people this study aims to evaluate the association of XbaI polymorphism with cholesterol levels in children and adolescents in Ouro Preto A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with school-aged children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 in Ouro Preto a small city located in southeastern Brazil The eligibility criteria were: the student must have been enrolled in primary education at a school in Ouro Preto and the person responsible for the student being interviewed must be over eighteen years old and live in the same household as the student The exclusion criteria were: pregnant teenagers students of Youth and Adult Education Program and the Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional The sample calculation determined a minimum sample size of 876 To account for potential losses due to non-adherence to the research or non-collection of blood samples the researchers inflated the sample by 20% resulting in the initial evaluation of a sample of 1,051 individuals in the study We obtained the participation of 912 students exceeding the minimum calculated sample size thus preserving the statistical power required for the study The selection was carried out in a simple random way from the list of students enrolled in 2021 the researchers contacted the parents of the students by telephone and invited them to participate in the research Three contact attempts were made before the student was excluded from the draw the next student of the same sex on the attendance list was drawn Data collection consisted of the following steps: (1) a face-to-face interview with the student’s legal guardians who answered a questionnaire about the student’s sociodemographic and clinical data (2) a physical examination consisting of weight and height measurements and (3) blood tests for biochemical triglycerides (TG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the schooling of the chief of the family the minimum wage was approximately 207 dollars it was parents who reported characteristics of their children by face-to-face interview considering it increased when it exceeded 2 h per day for children and 3 h per day for adolescents passive smoking was considered if the children or adolescents lived with a smoker Neonatal history (gestational age and birth weight) and family history of obesity or dyslipidemia were questioned Weight was measured on a Tanita Ironman InnerScan® digital anthropometric scale in an orthostatic position Height was measured with a Sanny® field stadiometer with the student standing with his back to the marker which considers a normal value for TC < 170 mg/dL and TG < 85 mg/dL (from 0 to 9 years old) and < 100 mg/dL (from 10 to 19 years old) The allele and genotype frequencies were evaluated and tested for the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium The allelic discrimination technique was performed using real-time PCR and a set of primers and probes specific for each SNP (TaqMan® Minor Groove Binder-MGB TaqMan® System; 7500 fast Real-Time PCR Systems XbaI polymorphism was evaluated as exposure increased serum levels of TC were considered the outcome and biochemical variables were covariables The database was built and analyzed using SPSS® version 28 software The study population was characterized through bivariate analysis where the study variables were categorized and presented as relative frequencies Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used for differences in these groups The allele frequencies were obtained by gene counting and tested for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium Directed acyclic graph (DAG) about XbaI polymorphism (exposure) This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of Federal University of Ouro Preto (CAAE 28680020.0.0000.5150) From a sample of 912 students, 57.0% were adolescents (10–17 years) and 50.2% were male. For children and adolescents, the median age was 7 (IQR: 6–8) and 12 (IQR: 11–14) years, respectively. For the outcome variable, 68.9% of participants had increased TC. Table 1 presents the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with normal and increased TC levels The analysis reveals that children from private schools with a higher level of education of the head of the family and with a family history of dyslipidemia had a higher chance of presenting increased TC (p < 0.05) The XbaI polymorphism was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (p = 0.854). The frequency of the C allele and T allele were 66.4% and 33.6%, respectively (data not shown in tables). Table 2 presents biochemical characteristics related to XbaI polymorphism genotypes in children and adolescents there was a tendency towards an increase in TC levels in carriers of the T allele Table 3 presents the association between individual genotypes and a combination based on a dominant and recessive model of the XbaI polymorphism with TC individuals homozygous for the T allele had a 1.44 times greater chance and those carrying at least one T allele had a 1.45 times greater chance of presenting increased TC when comparing the TT genotype with the CC + CT genotypes no statistically significant associations were found between the TT genotype and the augmented ratio chance of increased TC These results indicate that the presence of the T allele raises the ratio chance of increased TC only when in heterozygosity or homozygosity (CT + TT) and that the recessive model (TT) does not influence the chance in isolation Risk modification between XbaI polymorphism genotypes and clinical variables with total cholesterol in children and adolescents The present study evaluated the association between XbaI polymorphism and increased cholesterol in children and adolescents from Ouro Preto showed a significant interaction between excess weight and a family history of dyslipidemia with XbaI polymorphism in increased TC this is one of the initial research studies to assess the XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene among children and adolescents in Brazil as they are widely used in the Brazilian pediatric population which facilitates understanding in the context of public health in Brazil the importance of additional studies to evaluate possible variations in specific subgroups within the Brazilian population is emphasized and its presence in the CT + TT genotypes was associated with an augmented risk for increased TC in the recessive model (TT versus CC + CT) there was no significant difference in risk suggesting that the effect of the T allele is dependent on the presence of at least one additional copy of the C allele to modify the phenotype of risk These findings corroborate the complexity of gene-environment interactions and reinforce the need to investigate different genetic models to better understand variations in the risk of dyslipidemia The presence of the T allele in a context of heterozygosity appears to be sufficient to influence lipid levels which may have implications for preventive strategies in genetically predisposed populations despite the significant association observed between the XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene and increased TC it is recognized that other genetic and environmental factors also play determining roles in lipid levels it is essential to interpret our findings with caution understanding that they reflect a relationship observed within a multifactorial and complex context where other relevant factors can significantly influence the lipid profile the need for more consistency between studies reflects other limitations such as sample size and methodology adopted when combined with genetic factors such as XbaI polymorphism it becomes relevant to understand these factors’ impact on young people’s cardiovascular health a DAG model was used to identify and control for a minimal set of confounding variables which excluded these factors from the final analysis to prevent over-adjustment and estimation errors This limitation suggests that the increased TC observed in this study should be interpreted cautiously since such factors may individually impact lipid levels in children and adolescents our results support the idea that XbaI polymorphism in the APOB gene can affect the cholesterol levels of Brazilian children and adolescents living in urban conditions and may contribute to atherosclerosis Considering the heterogeneity in the literature and the fact that cholesterol levels results from complex interactions between genes and the environment we recommend conducting additional studies to determine the physiological effects of allelic variations in the APOB gene in the context of their interactions with environmental factors The data and materials are available and can be provided by the corresponding author based on reasonable request and a study protocol Jacobs, D. 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Health Rep. 138(4), 671–680. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231170203 (2023) Download references To all members of the Coraçõezinhos de Ouro Preto group FAPEMIG (APQ-01933-21) supported this work Postgraduate Program in Health and Nutrition Luiz Antônio Alves de Menezes-Júnior & George Luiz Lins Machado-Coelho Cibelle Ferreira Louzada & George Luiz Lins Machado-Coelho Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences Ana Carolina de Souza Soares & Raquel Laranjeira Guedes carried out the biochemical and molecular analyses field data collection and manuscript review for important intellectual content carried out the statistical analyses and wrote the manuscript (original draft) All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript as submitted and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work The authors declare no competing interests Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study and written informed consent was obtained from the parents Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83099-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development Our Partners Donate Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil’s golden age in the 18th century With the exhaustion of the gold mines in the 19th century the city’s influence declined but many churches bridges and fountains remain as a testimony to its past prosperity and the exceptional talent of the Baroque sculptor Aleijadinho la ville d’Ouro Preto (« l’Or noir ») a été le point de convergence de la ruée vers l’or et le centre de « l’Âge d’or du Brésil » au XVIIIe siècle Avec l’épuisement des mines d’or au XIXe siècle de ponts et de fontaines subsistent et témoignent de son ancienne prospérité et du talent exceptionnel du sculpteur baroque l’Aleijadinho تأسست مدينة أورو بريتو (أو " الذهب الأسود") في أواخر القرن السابع عشر وشكّلت محور التهافت على الذهب ومركز "العصر الذهبي البرازيلي" في القرن الثامن عشر ومع نضوب مناجم الذهب في القرن التاسع عشر، تقلّص نفوذ أورو بريتو، لكنّ هذه المدينة لا تزال تنعم بالعديد من الكنائس والجسور والينابيع التي تشهد جميعها على إزدهار أورو بريتو في السابق وعلى الموهبة الإستثنائية للنحات أليجادينيو المنتمي إلى العصر الباروكي ومصمم هذه الأعمال المعمارية 欧鲁普雷图（意思是黑色黄金）古镇建于17世纪末期，是18世纪淘金热和巴西黄金时代的焦点。到了19世纪，当地金矿资源日渐枯竭，这里的影响日渐减小，但当地众多的教堂、桥梁和喷泉仍然向人们展示着这里过往的繁荣和巴洛克风格雕刻家亚历昂德里诺(Aleijadinho)的非凡才华。 город Ору-Прету («Черное Золото») стал в XVIII в что привело затем к наступлению «золотого века» Бразилии мостов и фонтаны остаются доказательством его прошлого процветания и исключительного таланта скульптора барокко Алейжадинью la ciudad de Ouro Preto (Oro Negro) fue el punto de convergencia de los buscadores de oro y el centro de la explotación de minas auríferas en el Brasil del siglo XVIII La ciudad declinó con el agotamiento de sus minas a principios del siglo XIX puentes y fuentes que atestiguan su pasado esplendor y el talento excepcional del escultor barroco Antonio Francisco Lisboa Founded in the early 18th century 513km north of Rio de Janeiro the Historic Town of Ouro Preto (Black Gold) covers the steep slopes of the Vila Rica (Rich Valley) centre of a rich gold mining area and the capital of Minas Gerais Province from 1720-1897 Along the original winding road and within the irregular layout following the contours of the landscape lie squares bridges and churches which together form an outstanding homogenous group exhibiting the fine curvilinear form of Baroque architecture.The Historic City of Ouro Preto was the symbolic center of the Inconfidência Mineira in 1789 and home to exceptional artists responsible for many of the most significant works of the Brazilian Baroque period including the Church of São Francisco of Assisi by the distinguished architect and sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisboa (Aleijadinho) The area’s isolation for the better part of the 19th and 20th centuries generated economic stagnation fostering preservation of the original colonial constructions and urban pattern Criterion (i): Set in a remote and rugged landscape the aesthetic quality of the vernacular and erudite architecture and irregular urban pattern of Ouro Preto makes the town a treasure of human genius The most notable of the city’s architectural works are represented by the religious monuments and administrative buildings including the Palácio dos Governadores (Governors’ Palace) and the former Casa de Câmara e Cadeia (Administrative and Prison House) The Baroque churches carry sculptures by Antônio Francisco Lisboa and the ceiling paintings of Manuel da Costa Athaide among others These were the representatives of the initial expressions of an artistic form deemed genuinely national and developed in a region marked by difficult access and a scarcity of materials and labor in the 18th century Criterion (iii): The built heritage of the Historic City of Ouro Preto bears exceptional testimony to the creative talents of a society built on pioneering mining wealth under Portuguese colonial rule and sculptures are based on underlying models introduced by Portuguese immigrants the works vary significantly from the contemporary European art not only with respect to their spatial conception in particular the stone sculptures carved on the facades distinctive for their originality and design and in the combined use of two materials The absence of formal convents or monasteries due to the edict of the Portuguese Crown which prohibited the establishment of religious orders in Minas Gerais led to the construction of churches and chapels displaying the full splendor and originality of the syncretized artistic traditions of two cultures The Historic Town of Ouro Preto retains its urban nucleus built in the colonial period including the diversity of civic and religious buildings marked by refined aesthetic and architectural qualities that express Outstanding Universal Value Not all of these are in a good state of conservation; some houses and churches suffer from neglect The historic town is vulnerable to urban growth The expansion of Ouro Preto to the surrounding hillsides poses a threat of irreversible damage to the urban setting The relevant examples of religious and civic architecture and the accompanying works of art within Ouro Preto have been preserved in terms of form and design Controlled growth of the city’s surrounding areas and limits on the scale of new buildings have served to maintain the urban landscape of the 18th and 19th centuries within the property largely unaltered In regard to the city’s residential and commercial constructions inevitable modifications have been authorized while safeguarding the original facades The preservation measures adopted by the Federal Government with the support of the local government based on urban planning norms and successive conservation and recovery projects have ensured the authenticity of the cultural property the Historic City of Ouro Preto has been targeted for protection through a series of government initiatives The first involved Municipal Decrees 13 of 1931 and 25 of 1932 issued by Mayor João Velloso which mandated the “preservation of the colonial façade.” A year later President Getúlio Vargas designated the city a National Monument Creation of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service (Serviço do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional – SPHAN) today the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional – IPHAN) and enactment of Decree-Law 25 of November 30 put in place the necessary legal instruments which continue in effect to the present day to ensure the protection of all cultural property determined to be of outstanding value to the nation the Architectural and Urban Framework of Ouro Preto was formally entered in the Fine Arts Heritage Registry (Livro de Tombo de Belas Artes) on January 20 the city experienced significant expansion and a rise in heavy traffic flows in the light of the region’s emerging economic development a direct consequence of intensified steel production and mining activities the Federal Government built a highway around the city named after SPHAN’s first director A second measure implemented to protect the city from excessive vehicle traffic involved construction of a bus terminal on the outskirts of Ouro Preto to clear the central section of intra- and interstate and tourist buses With a view to enhancing management of Ouro Preto’s cultural heritage IPHAN opened a Technical Office in the city in the 1980s staffed with a multidisciplinary team of professionals the Brazilian Government submitted an application to UNESCO requesting designation of Historic Town of Ouro Preto as a World Heritage Site the city became Brazil’s first cultural property entered on the World Heritage List IPHAN expanded the site’s heritage designation through inscription in the Historical Landmark Registry and the Archeological the Technical Advisory Group (Grupo de Assessoramento Técnico – GAT) was established composed of technical experts representing IPHAN and the Municipal Government in addition to other government agencies devoted to the city’s preservation efforts The group developed a series of guidelines to control land use and occupation in the city center officially referred to as the Special Protection Zone (Zona de Proteção Especial) These guidelines were formally consolidated in a specific IPHAN Directive issued in 2004 a set of regulations agreed to by the different levels of government served to reinforce the initial version of the Municipal Master Plan approved through Complementary Law 1 of December 19 the Master Plan was submitted to review and updated through a specific Complementary Municipal Law In addition to these legislative initiatives the Municipality adopted a number of other measures to regulate urban land use in particular through the introduction of model Architectural Projects based on “Community Design Plans” (“Plantas Populares”) for construction work within the Municipality of Ouro Preto but outside the area entered on UNESCO’s Heritage List and the establishment of the Municipal Public Engineering and Architectural Service (Serviço Municipal de Engenharia e Arquitetura Pública) tasked with providing low-income families with free public technical assistance on the design and oversight of social interest housing building projects With a view to strengthening shared management of the site in 2006 the Municipality established the Municipal Secretariat of Urban Heritage and Development (Secretaria Municipal de Patrimônio e Desenvolvimento Urbano) an agency composed of a multidisciplinary team of professionals The Secretariat provides support to the Municipal Cultural and Natural Heritage and Urban Policy Councils (Conselhos Municipais de Patrimônio Cultural e Natural e de Políticas Urbanas) and is financed through the Heritage Preservation Fund (Fundo de Preservação do Patrimônio) IPHAN issued rules setting forth criteria for the preservation of Ouro Preto’s Architectural and Urban Framework regulating interventions in the federally protected area all previous regulations governing (includes the declared area) the related questions IPHAN issued two normative rules aimed at enhancing the city’s management: Directive 187 of June 11 governing the procedures for conducting investigations into alleged administrative violations involving conduct and acts which are deemed to be harmful to or damage the city’s cultural heritage structures which sets out the procedures for authorizing interventions in protected heritage structures and the respective surrounding areas A number of challenges remain to ensure proper management of the city enhance urban expansion planning through additional controls on the occupation of the surrounding hillsides regulate general traffic planning in the urban zone surrounding the protected area and effectively develop the area’s tourist-cultural potential transforming the city into an international cultural destination The substitution of traditional materials and techniques with new ones and the occupation of open spaces at the back of existing lots and within the heart of the complex has been spurred by demands for new housing a contributing factor for which has been the significant expansion of the Federal University and local Technical School Measures have been taken at both the federal and municipal levels to stem this trend an effort which has secured modest success to date the Historic City of Ouro Preto has received significant investments aimed at conserving and restoring its cultural heritage and ensuring the site’s perpetuation and use for current and future generations I returned from Brazil in November after participating in the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) annual general assembly and scientific symposium The symposium aimed to re-examine the Venice Charter in the light of contemporary challenges and had five key subthemes The theme “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage” was of significance to our Caribbean cultural context ICOMOS is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) responsible for monitoring tangible cultural heritage that include monuments (architectural works groups of buildings (separate or connected and sites (works of man or the combined works of nature and man the Jamaica “Blue and John Crow Mountains” 2015 inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage (WH) List designated a mixed heritage site with tangible cultural plus natural heritage outstanding universal value The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Jamaica has a proposal to inscribe the “Underwater City of Port Royal” a cultural heritage site on this WH List that is being monitored by ICOMOS sets out principles to guide the preservation and restoration of ancient buildings internationally with each country being responsible for applying this within the framework of its own culture and traditions Some key political issues arise globally around notions that the Venice Charter appears to carry a Eurocentric bias What does this mean for Jamaican heritage and its wider Caribbean colonial legacy What is the definition of ‘ancient building’ in the Caribbean Are these what Jamaican and Caribbean persons-in-the-street term ‘slavery buildings’ the inscription of the “Historic Town of Ouro Preto” which was founded at the end of the 17th century Ouro Preto [Black Gold] was the focal point of its 18th century gold rush and the recent ICOMOS assembly was hosted there Also inscribed in 2016 on the WH List is the “Pampulha Modern Ensemble Cultural Landscape” a visionary garden-city project designed by Brazilians - architect Oscar Niemeyer It was created in 1940 in the city of Belo Horizonte to nominate for Jamaica as outstanding universal value modern architecture and settings: the City of Kingston reconstructed after the 1907 earthquake; Kingston Technical High School; the Ministry of Education at Heroes Park; the National Stadium; the University of the West Indies Mona Campus; Cornwall Regional Hospital Ocho Rios; some prefabricated affordable housing developments in Kingston - Trench Town containing over 1,000 units at their inception All demonstrate models of sustainable development including hurricane and earthquake mitigation technology with efficient modern tropical architecture designs and planning principles Prime Minister Holness stated in his New Year’s message that he has heard the cry of the people he plans to increase support to encourage the construction of achievable and affordable housing through policy directives financing and incentives for the National Housing Trust which has only constructed just over 120,000 units since its establishment in 1976 The PM said he has now mandated building 43,000 housing starts by 2027 I share that as a member of ICOMOS and former president of its Jamaica National Committee I organised at the Brazil symposium “Caribbean Historic Urban Landscape: Disaster and Conflict Intergenerational Dialogue” with heritage colleagues: Japonesa Capellan president of ICOMOS Dominican Republic; Michael Newton member of ICOMOS Netherlands in Curaçao; Steve Devonish and Rudylynn Roberts former ICOMOS presidents of Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago acting director of Stichting Gebouwd Erfgoed Suriname we debated the importance of publicising that the tangible cultural heritage from the colonial periods was designed and built by Caribbean persons also the need to record technologically this tangible heritage for posterity that while undertaking restoration of its magnificent 19th century neo-classical Parliament she discovered human bones under its foundations After archaeological excavations and carbon-dating they realised that the British had built directly on the burial site of the Indigenous people The Government reinterred the bones and artefacts ceremonially and declared the site sacred established 1692 as capital city of Jamaica after an earthquake destroyed Port Royal most plots along the Kingston Harbour were acquired The Kingston merchants began to vie over who could build the most elaborate architecture from their slave-trading wealth concurrently with other developments by African entrepreneurs Capellan described the capital city of the Dominican Republic called the “Colonial City of Santo Domingo” being the first town in the New World founded in 1498 by Spain The outskirts of the city has an organic layout of narrow winding streets and resilient wooden vernacular architecture mitigating natural disasters that generationally housed persons who laboured as stonemasons and other craftspersons to build the historic grid colonial city Newton discussed the capital city of Curaçao inscribed in 1997 on the WH List as “Historic Area of Willemstad Inner City and Harbour,” founded ca.1634 The Otrabanda [Other Side] architecture influenced by the Dutch has tropical adaptations and styles from across the Caribbean He addressed the impact of tourism and the challenges of maintaining the integrity of historic architecture amid modernisation come together as heritage in the capital city of Suriname inscribed in 2002 as “Historic Inner City of Paramaribo” on the WH List and founded on an Indigenous settlement Records show that most of the urban fabric comprising wooden architecture dates from 1680-1800 and still survives mostly intact including people seeing the buildings as a remembrance to the oppression of slavery that should be replaced by modern architecture Barbados capital city inscribed in 2015 on the WH List as the “Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison” contains 17th-century street layout in an organic serpentine pattern and the “Chattel-House” architectural evolution Devonshire described this as movable architecture of landless persons who carried their houses to where they worked Starting as a porch and gable roof structure the house grew sustainably with additions upon finally gaining land ownership Let us hope that these debates will result in tangible cultural heritage designations of the Jamaican and the Caribbean cultural landscape sustainability in design and planning layout and worthy of modern tropical architecture international inscriptions Patricia Green, PhD, a registered architect and conservationist, is an independent scholar and advocate for the built and natural environment. Send feedback to patgreen2008@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. Lose yourself in the vast wetland habitats of the Pantanal and Brazil’s eccentric capital river snorkelling and Brazilian architecture To overwhelm your senses in South America’s gold-standard wildlife destination to swim in crystal-clear rivers and to feel tiny next to Oscar Niemeyer’s monumental buildings Route: Cuiabá; the Pantanal; Chapada dos Guimarães; Nobres and Brasília TV shows by the dozen have showcased Africa’s lion-teeming Serengeti plains But no less wonderful or less wildlife-filled is Brazil’s Pantanal Ramsar-protected wetland is larger even than Great Britain It’s where to go if you really want to stand a chance of seeing jaguars in the wild rheas – South America’s ostrich-equivalent – plenty of other cats (from the moggy-sized jaguarundi to the labrador-sized ocelot) and wild animals you’ve probably never heard of metre-long indigo-blue macaws nesting in the ipê trees and myriad waterbirds – from man-sized jabiru storks to tiny hummingbirds There are two main airport entry points – Campo Grande in the southern Pantanal (where transfers into the Pantanal are pricey) and Cuiabá in the north (where prices are lower but visitor numbers are heavier) Both are small state capitals – of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso respectively There’s little to keep you in their urbanity so head directly from the airport to one of the working fazenda ranch houses which serve as bases for exploring the wild The Pantanal has two seasons: the dry season between April and October and the wet from November to March Both are great for extraordinary photographs but it’s during the dry season when you’ll see the most animals This is when the Pantanal’s seasonally flooded lakes and gallery forests shrink and the wetlands become a landscape of open savannahs dotted with lakes and cut by meandering rivers and stands of low cerrado woodlands pinked with trumpet trees and purpled with jacaranda you’ll see plenty of animals from the pool at your fazenda or on the paths connecting your bungalow and the main ranch house 4WD rides and horse safaris that get you into the heart of it all Pantaneiro cowboys still access the wilds on horseback and this is one of the best ways to penetrate the wilder stands of woodland and wetland cover a decent distance and chance upon animals that are wary of the noise of 4WDs The best times for a ride are early morning and late afternoon when the nocturnal animals (like cats and anteaters) are still active and the Pantanal looks at its most beautiful silhouetting branch-perched hawks and wading herons Pantanal horses are smaller than the European varieties; they are docile so you won’t need any previous riding experience to enjoy a horse safari In both its northern and the southern reaches the Pantanal is fringed with low tabletop mountains the rivers that run off it are as clear as mineral water Use the city of Nobres (in the north) or the town of Bonito (in the south) as access points The easiest way to do this is to visit the southern Pantanal using the touristy town of Bonito as a gateway The infrastructure here is excellent and there are many rivers to snorkel the best being the gentle Rio Sucuri or the faster-flowing more adventure-focused Rio Formoso (with ziplines and tubing) In the stands of cerrado woodland around the rivers you will probably see mammals like paca and agouti (which look like doe-eyed long-legged guinea pigs) Bonito is around a 2.5-hour transfer from the southern Pantanal it’s just over a three-hour transfer from the heart of the Pantanal to the tiny town of Nobres Tourism here is less developed than in Bonito which means the rivers are quieter and the wildlife less disturbed Nobres also has more freshwater stingrays than Bonito Both the southern and northern Pantanal give you some of the best chances of seeing jaguars in the wild, as well as so much more. In the south, stay at Caiman where the pioneering Onçafari conservation project has fostered a healthy population of jaguars and turned cattle ranchers from poachers into gamekeepers Caiman is an expensive 3.5-hour transfer from Campo Grande airport It’s less than a tenth of the price to take the public bus from Campo Grande’s bus terminal (20 minutes from the airport by cab; Brazil widely uses Uber) to the town of Miranda where representatives from Caiman will meet you.  In the north, combine your ranch stay with a full day’s jaguar safari in Encontro das Águas State Park (book as a package through companies such as Earth Trip) Here you can find never-persecuted wild jaguars strolling the banks of the rivers in search of prey The distance between Cuiabá and the northern fazendas is similar to the south Nobres and Bonito from anywhere else in Brazil you will probably have to change planes in Brasília This is a blessing because it’s an extraordinary place The city was purpose-built in four years (1956–1960) heralding a new age of technocratic advance and symbolising then-president Juscelino Kubitschek’s promise to bring ‘50 years of prosperity in five’ It was conceived by urban planner Lucio Costa and landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx monumental Modernist architecture by Le Corbusier protégé Oscar Niemeyer The result is an extraordinary 1950s vision of the future Ministry buildings hidden behind diaphanous marble screens glow amber in lilypad-dotted reflection ponds Avenues are big enough to land a spaceship on and the myriad workers transported in to erect this Jetson-age concrete vision in wild scrubland were never paid enough to get back home They settled in sprawling city-sized satellite suburbs and their lives still orbit the capital Soak up the art and music scene in South America’s megalopolis and marvel at the wild mountains of Minas Gerais Brazilian Baroque churches and unique wildlife Brazil meets itself in the world-class city of São Paulo art and foodie scene; Move on to explore Minas Gerais the finest Baroque-style architecture in the country and lesser-tramped wilderness areas Route: São Paulo; Belo Horizonte; Ouro Preto and Congonhas; Diamantina; Serra da Canastra; Serra do Ibitipoca but São Paulo is a city,” said the actress Marlene Dietrich South America’s greatest metropolis may lack Rio’s stunning landscapes – stretching as it does in interminable concrete and heaving with traffic – but this is the country’s economic and cultural engine The city has the best music scene in South America and countless bars and clubs scatter neighbourhoods such as Itaim Bibi offering everything from Brazilian jazz to favela funk Take a city tour that includes at least one of the fabulous art galleries skyscraper-lined Avenida Paulista and the Altino Arantes Building (Farol Santander) Arrive at the latter just before sundown for São Paulo’s best view – the city spread beneath you like a Cyclopean circuit board – as blocks of vast rectilinear white and orange towers are cut into sections by roads of streaming traffic the occasional vulture floats past and neon blinks everywhere Immediately to the north of São Paulo is Minas Gerais state rolling hills peak in a series of craggy mountains before running to huge areas of threatened cerrado forests and the northern scrubland sertão desert left his effigies and decorative carvings on the magnificent Brazilian Baroque churches of Minas’s gold-rush mining towns Ouro Preto and Congonhas Brazil’s greatest writers – the poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade and João Guimarães Rosa – wandered the cobbled streets of Minas’s sleepy hamlets and rode horses in the wild backlands The country’s most acclaimed contemporary musician Milton Nascimento began life singing in village church choirs and the clubs of Minas’s arty capital So was Juscelino Kubistcheck – the president who created Brasília and it’s worth a night here to see Oscar Niemeyer’s buildings in Pampulha and to sample the music scene in the city’s boho Savassi neighbourhood Head to the 18th-century mining villages of Ouro Preto and its neighbour Congonhas Explore Franciscan churches with painted ceilings and ornate sculptures Wander markets and cobbled streets and find a botequim bar playing live music Minas’s wilds are harder to reach but are worth the effort especially the Serra da Canastra hills in the south-west and the wildlife-rich tabletop mountain of Ibitipoca in its south-east São Paulo’s art scene is South America’s most vibrant Galleries like Millan and Choque Cultural showcase the best of Brazil’s emerging contemporary and street artists MAC has an important collection of Latin American and international contemporary art (with pieces by Modigliani the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) showcases Brazilian Modernism and the Pinacoteca is home to a historic collection of paintings running from 19th-century colonial through to the Tropical Modernism of the Anthropofagists – including Anita Malfatti and Tarsila do Amaral who cannibalised European art and reconstituted it as Brazilian using striking colours and organic forms São Paulo’s artistic jewel in the crown is the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) the finest collection of Old Master European paintings in the Southern Hemisphere collected by newspaper mogul Assis Chateaubriand in the 1950s and housed in a striking Brutalist building by Lina Bo Bardi A new 14-storey wing is due to open in 2024 enabling visitors to see paintings long buried in the museum’s huge archive It’s a quintessentially Brazilian story: the country’s greatest sculptor was the son of a Portuguese architect and an enslaved African His greatest works adorn churches where Black Brazilians were prohibited entry Antônio caught a debilitating disease which left him so badly maimed that he had to work on his knees and back with chisels strapped to his paralysed hands He was known as O Aleijadinho (‘Little Cripple’) mannerist sculpture in the glorious Francis of Assisi church in Ouro Preto and the Stations of the Cross in Congonhas They’re perhaps the greatest of any produced in the 18th-century Americas – agonised prophets so expressive that their features and limbs are distorted; a St Francis redolent with gentle compassion Disguised within the decorative images is subtle social commentary and references to the Tiradentes revolutionary movement against the Portuguese Like those painted by Lisboa’s contemporary Mestre Athayde (also in Ouro Preto’s Francis of Assisi church) they are white but with unmistakeably Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous features – especially in the hair and the eyes Tucked away in the south-eastern corner of Minas (within easy access of the airport in Juiz da Fora city) is one of Brazil’s wildlife secrets – the Ibitipoca tabletop mountain Dripping with clear water streams and rivers that cascade in glorious waterfalls rocky escarpments and gorges guarding myriad micro-climates This is one of the last homes of the largest monkey in the Americas: the muriqui pumas and endangered birds including the vinaceous-breasted Amazon parrot blue-winged macaw and the endemic white-bellied warbler There’s comfortable accommodation in four remarkable locations: the beautiful Portuguese colonial main ranch house set near a rushing mountain stream; cottages in the rehabilitated savannah village; the rainforest reserve lodge; and the mountain hut Brazil’s south is wilder than you think… and it has waterfalls and surf that will take your breath away which spans two countries; to catch Brazil’s best waves; and to discover a beach in the heart of a huge coastal rainforest reserve Route: Curitiba; Serra da Graciosa; Paranaguá; Ilha do Mel Foz de Iguaçu; Florianópolis; Santa Catarina Island “Poor Niagara,” Eleanor Roosevelt reputedly said when she saw the Iguaçu Falls for the first time They’re nearly twice as tall as their North American counterpart and over three times as wide But while Niagara is fringed with casinos and malls dwelling deep in a rainforest park larger than Greater London Jaguars and pumas prowl here (they’re a relatively common nocturnal sight on the park roads) and you will see myriad racoon-like coatimundi hummingbirds and flocks of trilling parakeets as you walk the extensive trails The falls straddle the border between Brazil and Argentina lying just upstream from the Paraná River and the frontier with Paraguay so you should allow at least two days for a visit It’s a taxi ride between all the hotels (but one) and the falls so you are best off pre-booking a guided tour Make sure it takes in both sides of the border whose trails run to the base of the Garganta do Diabo (Devil’s Throat) where the Iguaçu river thunders over a steep-sided gorge which is both better for wildlife and is reached via a purpose-built tourist railway Boardwalks span the river and take you to the top of the Garganta as well as running around dozens of ancillary waterfalls Take the rest of your stay to ride a boat up to the base of the falls and to walk the lesser-known trails in search of primates You can also visit the triple frontier on the Paraná River there’s much more to the south of the country than Iguaçu near the city of Florianópolis (it has easy connections by air to the rest of Brazil) These are reached on paths that clamber over forested ridges and drop through small fishing communities Surf-friendly Ilha do Mel island in Paraná sits at the heart of a vast and important stretch of mangrove and Atlantic coastal rainforest The whole area is protected via a series of national parks and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site Many endangered endemic plants and animals live among these forests including tiny black-faced lion tamarin monkeys (which were first documented in 1990) is only found in south-east Brazil) and a gamut of sought-after wildlife sightings While getting into the heart of the wild will involve bespoke boat hire The best way to arrive is to first take the Serra Verde Express train through the Serra do Mar mountains from Curitiba (which is well-connected to the rest of the country by air and has an impressive Oscar Niemeyer architecture museum) The train ride is the most spectacular in Brazil crossing dizzying viaducts and offering sudden views of deep gorges and high peaks before arriving at Paranaguá from where there are regular ferries to Ilha do Mel Belmond’s Hotel das Cataratas is the only accommodation located right next to Iguaçu Falls It charges premium rates – and for good reason The parks on both sides of the Brazil-Argentina border close just before sundown and the only visitors permitted to remain inside are guests of the hotel you can get the falls pretty much to yourself at sunset and usually entirely to yourself under moonlight or at the crack of dawn The falls lie right across from the hotel’s front lawn as is the trailhead to the base of the Garganta do Diabo Having such privileged access to one of the natural world’s greatest wonders is well worth splashing out on guests are also arguably more likely to see a big cat on the access roads around the hotel at night There’s good surfing at Itacaré in Bahia and on Rio’s beaches but it’s only on Santa Catarina that the surf is reliably world class The island is in a prime position for the south-south-east swells that thunder into its shores Joaquina is the most famous beach among surfers here Garopaba and Guarda beaches back on the mainland tend to be less popular (especially outside weekends and Brazilian holidays) There are surf camps for beginners all over the island and its beaches invariably have accommodation Visit between April and October for the most powerful You’ll need a wetsuit though; this is the southern winter while the average air temperature peaks at 20ºC in July – which is freezing by Brazilian standards carnivals and Afro-Brazilian rhythms of the north-east you’ll find the heart of traditional Brazil dance and an abundance of Afro-Brazilian verve Why go Relax on the beautiful beaches of north-eastern Brazil Dance and soak up the Afro-Brazilian culture in Brazil’s original capital which preserves the largest Baroque-style colonial centre in the Americas Watch sunrise over the lake-dotted dunes of the deserts of Ceará and Maranhão Route: Trancoso; Salvador; the Chapada Diamantina; Patacho beach; Recife and Olinda; Pipa Jericoacoara; Lençóis Maranhenses National Park Brazil’s north-east is South America’s Caribbean manatees drifting the rivers and huge swathes of primary tropical coastal rainforest thanks to Salvador having been the main hub for the approximately 5 million enslaved Africans brought to Brazil between the 16th and 19th centuries This is where samba was born and where African rituals and rhythms are still kept alive.  France-sized Bahia state is also where Brazil began in 1500 when Pedro Álvares Cabral and Amerigo Vespucci (who gave his name to the continent) landed near modern-day Trancoso village Even Charles Darwin marvelled at the rainforests and wildlife around Salvador – Brazil’s first capital perched on a high ridge overlooking a wine-glass bay sprinkled with islands Gold-glittering Brazilian Baroque churches and ancient cobbles clamber over the hills The streets below throb with African drums capoeira dancers whirr in the old colonial squares and the annual Mardi Gras carnival is second in size only to Rio’s A short flight (or long bus ride) inland from Salvador there’s great hiking to be found deep in the waterfall-lined mountains of the Chapada Diamantina where the coastal rainforests meet the ocean you’ll find the best beaches in South America which has the cream of the continent’s high-end beach boutiques These typically dwell in coconut glades or among the colourful colonial cottages of the pretty village square Brazil’s north-eastern coast seems to stretch through endless coconut-shaded sands in the states of Sergipe offering some of the best chances anywhere of seeing manatees in the wild The bell towers of beautiful 17th-century churches ring out from the twin cities of Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco; these towns also boast the most traditional of the large Mardi Gras carnivals in South America Pipa has a hippy-chic beach vibe and a string of classy boutique hotels and farm-to-table restaurants wind-swept dunes mark an area of coastal ‘deserts’ that fringe this north-eastern region They are most spectacular in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park which is pocked with thousands of turquoise lakes that appear between May and September There are nine states in Brazil’s north-east so you can’t take in the whole area in a single visit choose Trancoso or Jericoacoara (both with easy flight connections) it’s easy to organise a spectacular wild-coast transfer overland and into the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park from where short transfers to São Luis city (265km away) connect to onward flights buttery tropical light and brightly painted buildings the scent of mangoes and frangipani wafts from leafy cobbled squares while the sizzling acarajé (Brazilian falafel) served by Afro-Brazilians in colourful bustle-skirts at street stalls in the historic Pelourinho district seduces the nostrils Brilliant-white yachts speckle the deep blue of the bay parakeets flit between branches and tiny marmoset monkeys trill overhead It takes at least a day to soak-in this complicated city then it’s time to explore the magnificent rococo-style churches the most spectacular of which is the 16th-century Franciscan monastery Pause to watch a martial-art-cum-dance capoeira show (there are always performers in the cathedral square) then discover the lasting importance of the spirit-religion Candomblé in local culture at the Afro-Brazilian museum This religion still permeates life in Bahia and it is Brazil’s counterpart to the Afro-Caribbean Santería that is prevalent in Cuba Carnival is not limited to Rio; there are Mardi Gras parties all over Brazil and Salvador hosts the second-largest around leaping and marching through the city’s old colonial centre accompanied by giant floats topped with kitschy pop bands head to the twin cities of Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco state Coastal Recife wraps around a series of little estuaries while the former Portuguese colonial city of Olinda (whose name translates as ‘Oh Beautiful’) perches on a tree-covered hill a stone’s throw away This is carnival as it used to be – long before TV sponsorship and paid tickets changed everything The myriad styles of traditional music and dance are a joy to behold with huge maracatu drum orchestras marching through the city squares around Recife’s waterfront Impossibly acrobatic dancers in swirly dresses jump and reel across the cobbles while clutching miniature frevo umbrellas falling into the splits and then leaping as high as gymnasts swaying mamulengo puppets grin and twirl through the narrow brightly painted streets and up over the hills A vast orange sun rises over a sea of rippling sand that flows wind-blown to every horizon In the coastal desert of Maranhão’s Lençóis Maranhenses seasonal lagoons paint the valleys between the dunes deep turquoise There’s nothing quite like waking in the velvety dark of your pousada (inn) walking to a high crest for the golden dawn and then skipping down the dune side and plunging in for an invigorating swim before breakfast a poetic description of the silky dunes) are easy to reach You can transfer into the small access towns of Barreirinhas Santo Amaro or Atins from the airport in Maranhão state capital São Luis or take a more adventurous overland 4WD ride along the beaches and over the backwaters from the little resort village of Jericoacoara just across the state border in Ceará Paddle 30km-wide rivers with Indigenous guides under vast Best for: Primordial wilderness that makes you realise just how small you really are there is no other wilderness on Earth to compare with the Brazilian Amazon you can find yourself more than 1,000km from the nearest road touching trees that no human has ever laid their hands on before Route: Manaus and the Rio Negro; Belém and Marajó island; Cuiabá and the Mato Grosso Amazon; Santarém and the Tapajós valley The world’s greatest rainforest isn’t limited only to Brazil But it is only here that you will experience the full scale of the Amazon’s rivers its vast horizons and its endless green immensity The Brazilian Amazon holds the largest area of protected rainforest in the world (the 60,000 sq km Amazon Conservation Complex); the river itself hides an island larger than Belgium in its mouth; and of the Amazon’s 1,100 tributaries the Rio Negro measures some 30km wide at its largest point and hides an archipelago of more than 400 rainforest-covered islands within its tea-black waters The Amazon’s biodiversity – some 10% of the world’s total – is just as impressive but you’ll struggle to see much of it; the forest is too huge a hiding place And while the further you go from the cities even here the Amazon is far from empty of humans; an estimated 200 Indigenous groups have managed the forest for millennia Visit the jungles with them as guests to ensure your money goes directly to supporting Indigenous-run businesses There are four principal access points to the Brazilian Amazon which can all be linked together if you want to explore it in depth The easiest to reach is Manaus in Amazonas state despite this city of some 2 million people largely being isolated from the rest of Brazil by road The best of the short and long river cruises leave from here with many of them going up the 2,250km-long Rio Negro The best jungle lodges are found in Mato Grosso state in the southern Amazon; these are typically reachable either from the cities of Cuiabá or Alta Floresta. The wildlife guiding and facilities at lodges such as Cristalino are among the best in the world though the rivers here are smaller and the landscapes less dramatic offers different experiences to those of Manaus or Mato Grosso which are connected to Manaus and the rest of Brazil by air From the former you can reach the island of Marajó which is fringed with mangroves and long stretches of sand Santarém lies an hour from the gorgeous village of Alter do Chão which sits over a half-moon strand of bone-white beach amid a sapphire-blue river fringed by cerrado woodlands and vast stands of ancient rainforest Regular flights on the principal Brazilian carriers connect the Amazon cities with the rest of the country (usually with a change of plane in São Paulo or Brasília) There were people living here nearly 10,000 years before Stonehenge Brazil is home to some 260 Indigenous nations today and there are companies throughout the Amazon Basin offering experiences with them But the only Indigenous-owned and -run tour operator in the Brazilian Amazon is that of Munduruku guide Saru who recently appeared in Robson Green’s Into the Amazon TV series He offers bespoke wilderness experiences that he has grown to love over a lifetime No one is quite sure how Asian water buffalos ended-up on Marajó island they were being transported to southern Brazil to produce mozzarella when the shoddy ship carrying them hit heavy weather off the coast of Pará; it sank they are part and parcel of rural life around the tiny towns of Souré and Salvaterra – the local police even patrol on buffalo back Locals make cheese from buffalo milk, and you can visit both the Marajoara cheese factory and a buffalo farm, as well as taste the cheese menu. It’s great fun, and these bovines make for particularly placid companions. Organising a trip to Marajó is easy. Journeys begin in Belém, and trips can be organised with Rumo Norte Expeditions who can also arrange small hotel stays or homestays on the island Manaus was one of the richest cities in the world It was during this period that the streets began to fill with handsome Belle Époque-style mansions while atop the low hill overlooking the river was built an astonishing Italianate domed opera house called the Teatro Amazonas The great Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso even sang Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at its opening night in 1897 the Teatro fell silent when the short-lived rubber boom ended – after Henry Wickham smuggled rubber plants to London allowing the British to begin growing them in India and East Asia complete with Venetian Murano glass chandeliers and painted stage curtains by Crispim do Amaral depicting the allegorical figures of the rivers Negro and Solimões (Amazon) embracing in Manaus the Teatro is home to its own orchestra (the Amazonas Philharmonic) and the world-class Festival Amazonas de Ópera (March–May) The best wildlife cruises leave from Manaus or Santarém. Most journeys from the former take a few days to visit the Amazon around Manaus and the lower Rio Negro, reaching the southern end of the Anavilhanas islands. The riverscapes are spectacular, and you can see caimans, dolphins and myriad waterbirds. Journey Latin America are a reliable operator when it comes to booking small-boat cruises here The boats are comfortable double-decker river cruisers with space for a dozen or so in their handsome wooden cabins But most of these forests are well-tramped by humans; to get further afield Trips out of Santarém come in two varieties: day journeys across the blue Rio Tapajós to wild beaches and the huge Tapajós River National Forest, or multi-day excursions along smaller tributaries such as the Arapiuns. These can be organised through Rumo Norte Expeditions then escape to the historic towns and pristine islands of the Green Coast for peace and quiet then samba dance the night away at a club in Lapa You can spot unique birds and primates in pristine forest stroll to remote beaches on car-free Ilha Grande or explore the wilderness around the Portuguese-colonial town of Paraty Route: Rio de Janeiro; Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA Reserve); Ilha Grande; Paraty W hether it’s the sound of The Girl from Ipanema oozing from a beachside bar the roar of a football crowd in the Maracanã stadium or the sight of cable cars rising up Sugarloaf mountain few places capture South America’s natural beauty and easy-going exuberance like Rio And all this is crowned by a giant statue of Christ watching from on high It takes at least 48 hours to explore the city’s must-sees Allow a half-day just to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue (reached by funicular railway from the station in the Cosme Velho neighbourhood) and Sugarloaf mountain (buy tickets at the cable car station in Urca) then spend the morning or afternoon hiking or biking in Tijuca National Park whose toucan-filled forests swathe the mountains that run through the centre of Rio it’s time to explore some of Rio’s secrets Take a tour of the UNESCO-listed old Afro-Brazilian sites in the city centre you can finish the day with a night of live music in one of the clubs that cluster around the arches of the historic Lapa aqueduct Hike the hills and beaches of southern Rio on the Transcarioca trail stopping at the Roberto Burle Marx gardens created by the landscape architect who worked on designing the outdoor spaces of Brasília set in a wild stretch of the Atlantic Forest a vast rainforest biome that runs to the coast and is home to more than 1,000 endemic bird species decorated by one of colonial Brazil’s greatest artists of the Baroque style Rio is not just a city; it’s also a state – one rippling with wild mountains forest-covered ridges run to a bottle-green ocean breached by rugged islands a two-hour drive south of the city and an hour’s boat ride from the coast Abraão (where most of the simple hotels lie) and no roads Trails lead through the rainforest to spectacular beaches such as Lopes Mendes or climb past waterfalls into the mountainous interior Further along the Green Coast is the delightful old Portuguese gold port of Paraty Whitewashed belltowers and stately 17th-century townhouses – many of them converted into boutique hotels and restaurants – sit over rough flagstone streets that run to a harbour busy with small fishing boats The mountains of the Serra do Mar state park frame the town’s horizon while islands fringed with golden beaches lie offshore which can be organised through your hotel or at Paraty’s quayside There’s great hiking on the nearby Ponta da Juatinga peninsula whose forests are pristine enough to house wild tapirs You can even see their paw prints on the lonelier stretches of beach The Sugarloaf is really two boulder mountains can be reached by cable car; you can also get there on foot via the Claudio Coutinho trail that leaves from Vermelha beach Look out for kitten-sized marmoset monkeys in the trees on your way up The higher peak – Sugarloaf (396m) itself – can only be reached by cable car from Morro da Urca but they are at their best just before and after sunset As the light deepens behind the Christ statue in the distance Rio twinkles into neon life behind the myriad bays and mountains jutting rock known as parrot (papagaio) peak – named because of its similarity to a bird’s head You can reach it on a tough trail that cuts along beaches and over rocky peninsulas before winding sharply into the island’s thick forest and you’ll be drenched in sweat by the time you reach the top the island’s ridges drop at your feet to the ocean where strings of islets run north to a long sand bar and the distant boulders of Rio itself But don’t attempt it without a guide; tourists have been known to find themselves lost for days in Ilha Grande’s central jungles It’s all about the views in Rio: looking down from the foot of the Christ statue or along the 4km-long sandy stretch of Ipanema and Copacabana to the mountains or out from the terraces of Aprazível restaurant There is always something to catch the eye But the best views of all are from inside a helicopter above the city’s bays, islands and boulder mountains as you swoop over the Sugarloaf and hover above the head of the Christ statue. Flights cost from around £100 for 20 minutes and leave from the shore of the heart-shaped Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon If you’re a keen (and fearless) photographer and book ahead they’ll even take the helicopter doors off which connects to most of Brazil’s state capitals in around six to eight hours and visit nearby waterfalls and hiking trails | Vitor Vilas Boas / Unsplash Lavras Novas Lavras Novas is a sleepy town in Minas Gerais and the main attraction of the area is the outdoor activities the town offers far-reaching views over miles upon miles of rolling hills and grassland with plenty of things to do There are basic eateries dotted around serving no-frills yet wholesome local cuisine and a few pousadas (simple hotels) to stay in Other highlights include taking a dip in natural pools between 1,000 and 1,970 meters above ground level Poço de Caldas This sleepy town is popular among loved-up couples and senior citizens thanks to its peaceful surroundings and pleasant attractions that can be explored at a leisurely pace. The area is known for its hot springs, especially at Thermas Antonio Carlos which also offers several spa treatments and massages Other attractions include watching the artisan glass-makers taking the cable car to the Christ the Redeemer statue on the peak of a mountain Brumadinho Brumadinho is a tiny town with a few simple hotels and local restaurants, and it’s mostly common used as a jump off point to explore other nearby attractions. The most popular is Inhotim a stimulating outdoor art gallery set inside an expansive botanical garden such as the pipe that lets you hear the sounds of the center of the Earth and the room of speakers which gives the illusion of walking through a playing orchestra Other popular tourist points include Topo do Mundo – ‘Top of the World’ – a 360-degree panoramic viewpoint Santana do Riacho It’s the surrounding Serra do Cipó National Park that makes Santana do Riacho worth visiting, especially for those who love hiking. The park is riddled with long hiking trails they are not for the faint-hearted and require a good level of fitness to keep up with the demanding trails If leisurely hiking paths are more your thing then head to Vila de Lapinha da Serra known for its shorter São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras A place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of life São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras is a small town with a charming historic center hosting several small restaurants and accommodation options The main appeals here are the dozens of nearby waterfalls as well as the views of the Serra do Espinhaço mountain range Located between the Serra da Canastra (a famous region for the local Canastra cheese) and the Lago de Furnas lake Capitólio is a picturesque town with dozens of outdoor activities Its star attraction is the surrounding nature with days worth of hiking Some of the lakes are edged by rocky edges inviting adventurous visitors to dive into the deep Guides & Tips The Best Spots for Panoramic Views in São Paulo © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Sacred art will gain a whole new meaning when you have the chance to experience the work of Aleijadinho, a master baroque sculptor and icon of Brazilian art. Despite losing the use of his fingers, Aleijadinho’s paintings, statues, carvings, and sculptures are works of mastery and wonder, a testimony to the power of will and devotion.  The 18th-century artist was born Antonio Francisco Lisboa, but is better known by his nickname, "Aleijadinho," Portuguese for "little cripple." It's believed Aleijadinho suffered from a degenerated disease that caused the deformation of his limbs and even the loss his fingers. Yet he continued sculpting with a chisel and hammer tied to his fingerless hands, working often with great suffering and pain. Museu Aleijadinho, housed in the Church of Our Lady of the Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição) in Ouro Preto, an old colonial town in Brazil, contains many examples of his sacred art. His work can also be seen at three historical churches in the center of Ouro Preto, such as the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, which was recognized by UNESCO in 1985 as one of the world’s prime examples of baroque art. A rare example of an octagonal Catholic church. Inside this small chapel tucked away in the forest is one of the most well-preserved Danse Macabre frescos. This fresco inside a Serbian cave church has been a source of disagreement. A treasure trove of fine art is hiding inside this small medieval abbey in Gascony. A priest with no formal artistic training used basic house paint to create gorgeous religious scenes inside this historic church. It took 160 years to complete the most ornate church in Ecuador. This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek. A curious memento mori hangs in the magnificent Cathedral of Segovia. flagging a drop in oil prices in recent months three sources with knowledge of the matter said.Ouro Preto a Brazilian energy company backed by private equity giant EIG Global Energy Partners entered exclusive talks with Petrobras in July after presenting the highest offer for the Pampo and Enchova clusters located in the Campos basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state the fields were seen fetching around $1 billion.But the consortium cut its bid for the area citing a fall in oil prices of around 20 percent since the end of July supply and risks of slowing global demand amid economic woes tied to the U.S.-China trade spat.Lower oil prices could hamper efforts by Petrobras the world's most-indebted listed oil company to offload some other assets it intends to sell It is seeking to raise up to $26.9 billion via asset sales and partnerships by 2023 after falling short of a goal of selling off $21 billion in the 2017-18 period.Reuters could not verify Ouro Preto's latest bid amount made after Petrobras last week reopened bidding for the oilfields with rules set by Brazilian audit court TCU The move cleared the way for other investors to bid under the same contractual terms agreed with the winning consortium.One of the three sources said Petrobras received additional bids on Dec without disclosing the names of the bidders the additional bids were still within Petrobras's target price range for selling the cluster the person said.A fourth source said that Brazilian oil and gas company Petro Rio SA was considering bidding but Reuters could not determine whether a bid was ultimately made.Other oilfields are among the assets the company has put up for sale.Petrobras and Ouro Preto declined to comment on the matter and EIG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Additional reporting by Gram Slattery in Rio de Janeiro; editing by Nick Zieminski and G Crosse Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Samarco project in South East Brazil is an integrated open pit mine pipeline and port operation producing iron ore pell pipeline and port operation producing iron ore pellets the boards of the two companies approved construction of a third pellet plant at Ponta Ubu port enhancements and a second slurry pipeline The project was completed in 2008 at a cost of around US$1.5bn During FY2008 the mine produced around 17mt ore an increase of 8.5% on the previous year Record sales volumes reflect shipping efficiency the RGP3 ramp-up and improvement initiatives Samarco’s pair of slurry pipelines are the world’s longest The pelletising facility on the coast enables Samarco to operate its own port facility at Ponta Ubu which can accommodate two vessels of up to 170,000 tons The 313m-long by 22m-wide ship loading pier also receives carriers and tankers bringing coal and fuel oil for the pelletising plant Samarco is operated as an independent business with its own management team and has been granted mining concessions by the Brazilian government provided that it mines the Alegria complex according to an agreed plan Production began at the Germano mine in 1977 and at the Alegria complex in 1992 The Alegria complex has now replaced the depleted Germano mine An expansion occurred in 1997 when a second pellet plant was built an optimisation project increased pellet feed and pellet production the Samarco mine has been given a reserve life of 21 years at current production rates Samarco holds interests in two hydroelectric power plants These plants furnish approximately 19.2% of Samarco’s electricity requirements Samarco has signed two agreements expiring in 2014 to purchase remaining power needs from two local concessionaires that operate other hydro-electric power plants The deposit consists of low-grade itabiritic ore Samarco was reported as having a proven ore reserve of 451 million wet metric tons Mineral resources were reported as 945mt (dry) Conveyor belts transport iron ore to the beneficiation plant and a 396km slurry pipeline transports pellet feed to the pellet plants on the coast Iron pellets are exported via private port facilities There are two 396km iron ore slurry pipelines integrating the mining complex to pellet plants With the addition of the third pellet plant expansion Samarco has the capacity to process and pump a total of 24 million tons of ore concentrate a year and produce and ship approximately 21.6 million tons of pellets Samarco achieved record production for FY2008 as a result of improved efficiencies and commissioning of the third pellet plant The mine produced 17mt iron ore for the 12 months 8.5% more than the 15.6mt produced for the previous corresponding period Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Toni Morrison and I stood in Elizabeth Bishop’s house on a hillside in Ouro Preto commenting on her obsessively precise and mystery-inducing poetry has probed the Bishop canon and biography and exquisitely described her work and vision The solitary self in Bishop’s acutely visual poetry remains hidden “alone and watching,” conjuring up specific and suggestive images in such masterpieces as “Sandpiper,” “The Moose,” “Roosters,” “The Armadillo” and “North Haven.” Her poems suggest Vermeer in their illuminating detail as external occasions seem to evade the self concealing feelings and leading to no overarching statement The poet trains a cool camera’s eye on her quarry Key West and Brazil with her longest lover Bishop‘s father died when she was eight months old Her mother was committed to a mental asylum when she was 5 Perhaps her intense focus on the world around her created a momentary sense of home where there was none Bishop’s best friend was the poet Robert Lowell who led the way in creating confessional and very personal poetry charted each other’s depressions and breakdowns In letters Bishop revealed more of herself: “Surely there is an element of mortal panic and fear underlying all works of art?” Language remains [and that] is all there is now [taking] on a power much greater than it ever had when it was there merely to express faith.” grasping voraciously at the world around her the self as stealthy performance in the meticulous images she chooses They continue to amaze in her exacting and perilous art Sam Coale (samcoale@cox.net) teaches American literature at Wheaton College ShareSaveMoneyUS Poet's Brazilian Home Selling For $2.4 MlnByKenneth Rapoza Former US Poet Laureate Elizabeth Bishop lived in this property in Ouro Preto International celebrity and designer home realtor recently listed the former Brazilian home of US poet The Massachusetts-born poet was granted the literati title of US Poet Laureate in 1949 and 1950 She won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature six years later But that's surely not where she got the bulk of her money from to buy this historic beauty on the left Bishop's wealthy father died when she was still a baby and her mother was put in a mental institution when Bishop was only six thus keeping her father's fortune for her entire adult live That Tyrannasaural nest egg took the poet around the world and finally to Brazil in the 1950s during the bossa nova Girl from Ipanema years She lived in the Sotheby's listed property from 1960 to 1970 in the mining city of Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais state a hot and sticky historic town roughly two hours north of São Paulo by plane She died in Boston at the age of 68 in October 1979. 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The biggest New Year’s beach party on earth (attracting revelers in their millions each year) always includes lots of live music with some of Brazil’s biggest acts performing to massive crowds and a breathtaking 15-minute fireworks display at midnight these practices extended to people outside the Candomblé and Umbanda religions and almost everyone at Copacabana’s New Year’s celebrations will wear all white which is to enter into the sea and jump seven waves one will invoke the powers of Iemanjá for the year ahead Praia de Alter do Chão – Santarém – Pará – Amazonia – Brasil | © lubasi / Flickr On New Year’s Eve, for the last four years Alter do Chão has hosted one of the best parties in the country, Vai Tapajós With the celebrations starting on December 27 and going right up to New Year’s Day complete with some of the best live music Brazil has to offer the organizers take all the party goers down the Tapajós river to a secret beach where they bring in the new year and party until the wee hours of the morning which spans part of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro state is vastly underrated and a unique part of the country rolling down into the native Atlantic Forest and then onto the gorgeous Litoral Norte beaches the entire region throws up some jaw-droppingly beautiful landscapes There are countless secluded beaches surrounded by imposing mountains covered with thick jungle a combination which is hard to find anywhere else Colonial streets of Paraty | © Florian Höfer/WikiCommons Further to the southwest is Toque-Toque Pequeno which has the peculiar honor of being one of the very few coastal beaches in Brazil which faces southwest meaning it is bathed in sun for the whole day and beachgoers get an unobstructed view of the sun setting into the ocean trendy crowd to the gorgeous Praia do Rosa beach to bring in the New Year with the main attraction being the breathtaking sunrise Although you may be mistaken for thinking as much New Year’s parties in Brazil are not restricted to the beach many Brazilian families prefer to avoid the coast at the end of the year instead fleeing to the interior of the country for some peace and quiet particularly around the borders between the states of São Paulo If the Copacabana beach party is Brazil’s most famous New Year spot, then Porto Seguro comes in at number two. Behind the city of Salvador Porto Seguro is the next most popular destination in the northeastern state of Bahia attracting holidaymakers all year round with its impressive beaches and ample infrastructure While other New Year’s parties around the country will play a mix of different music styles, mainly Brazilian pop, in Porto Seguro there is one genre and one genre alone—axé A mix between Brazilian rhythms frevo and forró as well as Afro-Caribbean styles such as calypso with a bit of a cheesy pop sheen thrown in for good measure and spending the New Year in Porto Seguro spells axé Porto Seguro | © Vicente Eugenio / Flickr While there, it is also worth taking a few days to visit the rest of the region, such as the Coroa Vermelha beach in Santa Cruz Cabrália, which is where the Portuguese first landed in Brazil, or the gorgeous beach town of Trancoso Another popular New Year’s itinerary for Brazilians who love the great outdoors is to spend several days trekking around the Chapada dos Veadeiros the beautiful national park in the state of Goiás An ancient plateau with rock formations and caves reckoned to be over a billion years old Chapada is a must-visit for anyone in Brazil and visiting its stunning waterfalls is a great way to bring in the New Year Chapada dos Veadeiros | © Aline Fortuna / Shutterstock Jericoacoara, Ceará A Brazilian New Year’s Eve on the beach does not necessarily have to be a crowded, action-packed affair. In fact, bringing in the New Year in the remote fishing village of Jericoacoara may just be one of the most laid-back and relaxed New Year’s imaginable requiring a 4×4 ride over the sand dunes from the nearby town of Jijoca de Jericoacoara (which is very secluded itself) Sunrise in Jericoacoara | © Vinicius de Sá Rodrigues / WikiCommons be sure not to miss Jeri’s legendary sunset best seen from the top of the Duna do Pôr do Sol where visitors can often witness the notorious “Green Flash,” a natural phenomenon where the setting sun turns a brilliant shade of emerald green before disappearing over the horizon The stunning turquoise waters and gorgeous sands of São Miguel dos Milagres beach make it one of the most popular destinations in the northeastern state of Alagoas. At New Year, the Réveillon dos Milagres festival is five days of partying with some of Brazil’s most popular DJs in a beautiful setting The colonial gold mining town of Ouro Preto has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the 1980s thanks to its wonderfully preserved Baroque architecture and its importance to the history of Brazil during the 17th and 18th centuries and walking around its sloped streets feels like a true journey back in time Ouro Preto is also a popular destination at New Year with the local government organizing a stunning fireworks display at midnight and many of the town’s restaurants holding private celebrations for tourists If you have any queries about this error, try emailing feedback@mirror.co.uk and we'll do what we can to help you