The second destination of Let’s Travel the World is Guararema... a city in the countryside of São Paulo State, which brings together attractions for all ages!!
Two villages that became the beautiful Guararema. Let’s go?!
In the beginning, a large part of the population was concentrated in the capital of São Paulo, and over time, several villages began to emerge towards the forests, located in the region of the middle Paraíba.
One of these new villages was founded by Gaspar Cardoso, Captain Mór of Mogi da Cruzes, in the mid-16th century, where the Capuchin friars built, in 1654, a chapel in honor of Nossa Senhora da Escada (Our Lady of the Stairs). Later, this village was renamed Arraial da Escada. And in 1872, it was elevated to Distrito da Paz.
Not far from there, in 1875, a lady, Dona Laurinda de Souza Leite, in order to help an ex-slave, Maria Florência, donated a piece of land. She built, with the help of other people and with her savings, the Capela de São Benedito (Saint Benedict’s Chapel), the patron saint of her devotion.
Gradually, other residents settled in the vicinity of the chapel, forming a village, which received the name of Guararema, which comes from the Tupi Guarani language meaning Pau D’Alho, due to the abundance of this tree in the region.
In 1876, the stretch of the Central do Brasil Railroad was inaugurated between Mogi das Cruzes and Jacareí, passing through Guararema. As a result, the village developed rapidly. And because of a decree, the Distrito da Paz da Escada was annexed to the village of Guararema, being elevated to the category of city on September 19, 1899.
TIP
The city has some attractions for those who enjoy ecotourism, such as Parque da Pedra Montada (Pedra Montada Park) and Cachoeira do Putim (Putim Waterfall).
Oh, and if you like Christmas as I do, you have to visit the city at that time too, because it is famous for its decorations made with pet bottles, which are collected throughout the year in the city’s schools. This event started in 2009, and by 2019 more than 500.000 bottles were used.
ATTRACTIONS
Guararema is a city that has many attractions, being a great destination option for those looking for a day trip (in my case) or a weekend trip.
If you want a more affordable trip, Guararema is a great option, as most of its attractions are free.
There you can find the Igreja de São Benedito (São Benedito Church), the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Escada (Church of Our Lady of the Stairs), the Estação Literária (Literary Station), the Pontilhão, the Estação Ferroviária de Guararema (Guararema Railway Stations), the spectacular viewpoint, Mirante Prefeito Gerbasío Marcelino.
So if you want to know a little bit about these amazing places and much more, I invite you to watch my vídeo about the charming Guararema!!
PS: the vídeo is in Portuguese, so remembre to activate the subtitle!
I hope you enjoyed our trip through Guararema!!
Stay tuned here to discover your next destination! Because the world is too big to visit just one destination... so let’s pack our bags and hit the road!
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