The Gold Trail Historic-Ecological Site
Historic Information
Until
1695 this mountain trail, formerly a Goiana Indian trail, was used as the
best way to get from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo.
With the Discovery of gold in the interior of Brazil at the end of the 17th
century, this trail gained enormous importance. It became the official road
for the flow of the mineral that was shipped in Paraty to Rio and from there
to Portugal.
In 1767 a shorter and safer road was built connecting the mines directly
with Rio de Janeiro, and from then on the old trail was used for the
transportation of slaves and goods to the mines and to the coffee
plantations, and for the flow of coffee from the farms in the Paraiba River
valley to the port of Paraty.
Decadence of the old road was a result of the construction of the Rio-São
Paulo railroad, which reached the Paraiba River valley in 1877, and the
abolition of slavery in 1888.
We still have in Paraty 12 km of the original pavement, with supporting
walls, drains and other signs of the ancient engineering. Part of these 12
km is being restored by the Gold Trail Historical-Ecological Site.
