Paraty (or Parati), pronounced [paɾaˈtʃi], is a city in Brazil that was once part of the Portuguese colonial period (1500–1822) and the Brazilian Imperial era (1822–1889). It has a population of about 43,000 people. The name "Paraty" comes from the Tupi language spoken by the Guaianá Indians, who named it after a type of fish found in the area. Paraty is located on the Costa Verde, a green coastal area along the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. It is now a popular tourist destination, known for its historic town center and the natural beauty of the nearby coast and mountains. In 2019, the city’s historic center and four areas of the Atlantic Forest were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Paraty and Ilha Grande." The city’s coordinates are 23°13′10″S 44°42′53″W (or -23.21944°S -44.71472°W).

Geography

The town is located on the Bay of Ilha Grande, which has many tropical islands. Behind the town, there are tropical forests, mountains, and waterfalls that rise as high as 1,300 meters. It is the southernmost and westernmost city in Rio de Janeiro state.

Paraty is listed by IPHAN as a National Historic Landmark. More than 80% of its area is protected in conservation units, including:

• Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area, where the village of Trindade is located
• Tamoios Ecological Station
• Serra da Bocaina National Park
• Baia de Paraty, Paraty Mirim, and Saco do Mamanguá Environmental Protection Area
• Juatinga Ecological Reserve

Close by is the Serra do Mar State Park of São Paulo. The municipality also includes an indigenous village and an Afro-Brazilian quilombo settlement.

Paraty has a humid subtropical climate. Low temperatures range from 11 to 19°C (52 to 66°F), while high temperatures range from 23 to 29°C (73 to 84°F). January is the wettest month, with an average of 19 days of rain. Sea temperatures remain warm, ranging from 21.8 to 26.3°C (71.2 to 79.3°F).

Municipal symbols

The flag of Paraty was chosen on August 12, 1967. The colors on the flag have special meanings: gold stands for strength, silver for innocence, red for bravery, blue for calmness, and green for plenty.

Red, white, and blue are the colors used to paint the old buildings in the city. These colors form three vertical stripes on the flag, with a symbol in the center. A large white star on the red stripe shows the first district of the city. Two small stars on the blue stripe represent the second and third districts. The three stars are arranged in a triangle to honor the influence of Freemasonry in the city’s buildings. The crown on the flag reminds people of the royal traditions that led to the discovery and independence of the country. The green color is linked to the Portuguese family of Bragança, and the yellow color is connected to the Austrian family of Habsburg (including Dom Pedro I and Dona Leopoldina).

The symbol on the flag was chosen on November 30, 1960. The four sections of the symbol mean the following:

• The green section on the top left has a feathered headpiece above two crossed arrows. This represents the Guaianás tribe, the original people of the area.
• The red section has a white oval with the Portuguese royal symbol and the word "Remédios." This seal was used in the past to mark official papers. Our Lady of Remedies has been the city’s patron saint since 1646.
• The white, blue, and yellow section shows the outline of the city and its bay. A silver fish is drawn over it, possibly a reference to the Tupi language, which may have inspired the city’s name.
• The blue section shows a corner of a colonial house and a metal fence. These details reflect the style of houses built during the colonial period in Paraty.

The plants on the red banner are a coffee branch and a sugarcane stalk. The banner has the words "1660 Paraty 1844," which are the years when Paraty first became a town and later a city. Above the symbol is a crown with five towers. The middle tower has a red shield with a gold fleur-de-lis, which represents Our Lady of Remedies, the city’s patron saint.

History

The village of Paraty was founded in 1597. It became an official town in 1667, when Portuguese colonists settled there. The area had been home to the Guaianás Indians before the town was built.

The Guaianás people called the region "Paraty." In the Tupi language, "Paraty" means "river of fish." Today, Brazilian mullet fish still swim into the rivers that flow into the Bay of Paraty to lay their eggs. When the Portuguese arrived, they used the name "Paraty" for their new town.

After gold was discovered in Minas Gerais in 1696, Paraty became an important port for shipping gold to Rio de Janeiro and then to Portugal. This led to the creation of the "Caminho do Ouro," or "Gold Trail," a 1,200-kilometer road. In some steep areas, the road was built with large stones. It connected Paraty to Diamantina through Ouro Preto and Tiradentes. The trail was used to transport gold, supplies, miners, and African slaves by mule train between Paraty and the gold mines. Two parts of the Gold Trail near Paraty have been uncovered and are now popular hiking spots.

The Gold Trail was no longer used because pirates attacked ships carrying gold to Rio de Janeiro near the Bay of Angra dos Reis. A safer land route was later built to avoid these attacks. By the late 1700s, gold supplies ran out, and Paraty declined in importance.

In August 2004, the Gold Trail was proposed for inclusion on the World Heritage List.

• Stones on the Gold Trail
• The Gold Trail
• Hiking the Gold Trail
• View from the Gold Trail

Before gold was mined, Brazil’s main export was sugar cane. During the 1500s, most of the Portuguese colony focused on sugar production. However, Paraty remained centered on making cachaça, a spirit made from sugarcane juice. This may have been because Paraty’s wetter climate produced better sugarcane. Cachaça is the main ingredient in the national drink of Brazil, the caipirinha. Cachaça has been made since the 1500s and is older than rum. During the gold rush, cachaça remained a major economic force in Paraty, in demand in Brazil and Europe. By 1820, over 150 cachaça stills operated in the area. Over time, cachaça became closely linked to Paraty’s identity. In 2007, "cachaça of Paraty" received a Protected Indication of Provenance.

Paraty’s economy grew again in the early 1800s as a port for coffee from the Paraiba do Sul River Valley. However, a railway built along the valley provided cheaper transport to Rio de Janeiro, reducing Paraty’s role. For many years, Paraty remained largely unchanged, with limited economic activity focused on fishing, bananas, manioc, and sugarcane. In the 1970s, a paved road was built from Rio de Janeiro to Santos, near São Paulo, leading to a new wave of activity. This transformed Paraty from a nearly abandoned town into a tourist destination.

As of 2019, the historic town of Paraty has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its mix of cultural and natural landscapes, including its coastal historic center and nine natural areas.

Architecture

Paraty is famous for its cobblestone-paved streets in the Historic Center District. No cars or trucks are allowed there, only walking or biking. Motor vehicles can only enter the area on Wednesdays for deliveries. Horses and carts are often seen in Paraty and are used throughout the city.

Many historic buildings in Paraty have been preserved. Much of the city’s architecture has remained the same for 250 years or more.

There are four important historic baroque churches in Paraty:

Capela de Santa Rita is the oldest church in Paraty. It was completed in 1722. This church was used by freed slaves and free people who were once enslaved. It now houses the Museum of Sacred Art.

Another church was built by Paraty’s African slaves. It dates back to 1725. This church has a simpler, more rustic style compared to the other three churches in Paraty. Every year in the first week of December, the São Benedito festival is held at this church.

A third church was built in 1800. It was mainly used by wealthy women. A priest named Father Antonio Xavier da Silva Braga oversaw its construction. The building was later renovated in 1901. A statue called Nossa Senhora da Piedade was stolen from this church. It was recovered in the 1990s and is now displayed at the Museum of Sacred Art in Capela de Santa Rita.

Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora dos Remédios is the largest church in Paraty. It covers more than one city block. Construction began in 1646 when a woman named Maria Jácome de Melo donated land for the village of Paraty. She required two conditions: the church must be dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, and no one could harm the Indigenous people living nearby. The church was completed in 1873.

• Capela de Santa Rita
• Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito
• Capela de Nossa Senhora das Dores
• Igreja Matriz da Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

There is also a small chapel called Capela da Generosa. According to legend, it was built in 1901 by a generous woman in memory of a man named Teodoro. Teodoro is said to have drowned in the river Perequê-Açu when he tried to fish on Good Friday, a day when fishing was traditionally not allowed.

Historical churches can also be found in two nearby villages, Paraty Mirim and Penha.

Paraty-Mirim, also called "Little Paraty," was the site of the first chapel built by settlers in the area around Paraty in 1686. At the time, it was an important commercial center and thriving village. Today, only the church and a few private homes remain. In recent years, tourism has grown due to the area’s beaches, and Paraty-Mirim now has small inns, restaurants, bars, and boat tours.

A church in Penha is unique because it was built on top of a large boulder. It is located across from the Tourist Information Center at the start of the Caminho do Ouro trail.

There are two colonial forts in Paraty: Forte Defensor and Forte Patitiba.

Forte Defensor was built in 1703 and had six cannons to protect the city’s commercial warehouses. After the region’s economy declined, the fort fell into ruins until 1822, when it was rebuilt and dedicated to Emperor Dom Pedro I. Some historians believe the town’s first settlement began near the fort, and the area is still called the "Old Village."

Parts of the old defensive walls and cannons can still be seen today. The fort also has a powder house for storing explosives, one of the few remaining in Brazil. Forte Defensor is one of seven fortifications built around Paraty’s harbor, with two located in the city. The others are now ruins.

• Forte Defensor
• Cannons at Forte Defensor

Forte Patitiba, also known as Cadeia Antiga (Old Jail), is a small structure that was once used as a prison. It is located in the plaza of Santa Rita, near the church of the same name. Built in the early 18th century, it was part of a larger fort built to defend the harbor. In the 19th century, it was no longer used and now houses the local public library.

Many colorful colonial houses in Paraty have been restored. Many of these homes are now shops, pousadas (Brazilian bed-and-breakfasts), restaurants, and bars.

Once a month, during a full moon and high tide, seawater rises above its normal level and flows into the Historic Center District through special openings in the seawalls that separate the city from the harbor. The streets are only flooded for a short time until the tide goes down. The water is usually 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) deep. Some merchants near the seawall place small bridges over the flooded streets to help pedestrians. This flooding is meant to clean the cobblestone streets.

• Dry Flood-hole
• Flood by incoming tide
• Flooding street
• Another flooding street

Neighborhoods

Paraty is made up of 12 neighborhoods. The city has the Paraty-Mirim State Park, which was created in 1972. This park includes part of the Tamoios Ecological Station.

Culture and tourism

Paraty has many musical and cultural events. The most famous is the FLIP – Festa Literaria Internacional de Paraty (International Literary Festival of Paraty). The town also hosts local festivals on Catholic holy days, such as the Feast of the Holy Ghost.

The Paraty Bourbon Jazz Festival happens every May, starting in 2009. This traditional music event has featured artists like Stanley Jordan, Gary Brown, Ed Motta, Leo Gandelman, Eumir Deodato, Joshua Redman, Pau Brasil Group, Dianne Reaves, Mike Stern, Naná Vasconcellos, Nuno Mindelis, Jacques Morelenbaum, Stanley Clarke, and other well-known musicians in jazz, blues, soul, and R&B from Brazil and around the world.

The event usually has two stages: one in the Plaza de Matriz and another in the Santa Rita Church in the historic center of the city. Street performers and the Orleans Street Jazz Band also play music in the streets of the Historic Center. DJ Crizz starts and ends each day’s programming.

The Casa da Cultura Paraty (Paraty House of Culture) is in a historic house built in 1754. It opened to the public in 2004 and has a permanent exhibition about local history and culture. In the Salon of Indigenous Culture, visitors can see "carpets" made of colored sawdust and flower petals used during the Corpus Christi festival in June. The largest carpet is about 92 square feet (8.5 m²). The carpet is protected by glass so visitors can walk on it as they enter.

Paraty was used as the Bahian town of Ilhéus in the 1983 movie Gabriela, Cravo e Canela, starring Sônia Braga and Marcello Mastroianni. It was also the setting for Isle Esme, the location of Edward and Bella’s honeymoon in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.

Transportation

Paraty Airport can be reached from Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo by helicopter, small commercial planes, or private aircraft because it does not have regular flights.

Another way to travel to Paraty is by sea using a sailboat or cruise ship from Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis, or Ilha Grande.

Paraty is connected to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo by road through BR-101. Air-conditioned buses travel between Rio and Paraty.

Distance from Paraty to:
• Angra dos Reis – 95 km
• Belo Horizonte – 572 km
• Caraguatatuba – 126 km
• Rio de Janeiro – 236 km
• São Paulo – 330 km
• Ubatuba – 74 km

Other images

• Penha
• Saveiro in Ilha Comprida
• Colonial Church
• Colonial Church
• Trindade district
• Paraty street