This week’s trip is to São Luiz do Paraitinga, an important tourist destination in the Vale do Paraíba (Paraíba Valley) region!! A city marked by the rustic tradition, by the Folia do Divino, by the Carnival of Marchinhas and by all its historical heritage!!
Let’s go!!
It all started when pioneers left Taubaté, Mogi das Cruzes and Guaratinguetá on their way to discover new lands! Then in May 1769, the Governor of São Paulo, Morgado Mateus, approved the creation of 30 new settlements, and among them, São Luiz.
Its name is due to its patron saint, São Luiz, Bishop of Tolosa. And the word Paraitinga was incorporated into the name later, it is of Tupi-Guarani origin and means “river of clear waters”.
The hamlet became a village in 1773. While the other locations in the Vale do Paraíba (Paraíba Valley) had coffee cultivation as their priority, São Luiz was known as a “granary” and was dedicated to the cultivation of corn, beans and manioc. When coffee went into decline, the village lost its position as a “granary” and the activity of growing cereals was replaced by livestock.
In 1857 São Luiz became a city, received the title of Imperial City in 1873 granted by Dom Pedro II of Brazil, and in 2002 it was declared a tourist resort.
Unfortunately on January 1, 2010, the population of São Luiz do Paraitinga woke up scared. The water of its river, Paraitinga, was rising alarmingly. In a short time, much of its historical heritage was in ruins or compromised. But luckily, no Luizense died.
São Luiz was reborn from the ashes like a phoenix. And today, the entire city is rebuilt, as if nothing had happened. But there is not a person there who is not proud of their city and its history, always keeping a smile on their face!
TIP
The tip for this reborn city is to talk to the locals, be enchanted by the way they tell their story. In some tourists spots in the city there is a person to tell you the history of the place, so enjoy!!
ATTRACTIONS
Walking around São Luiz do Paraitinga is really like exploring an open-air museum, being enchanted by each touristic spot and valuing its history.
Every corner of the city has an incredible past, as in the Capela das Mercês (church), during the 2010 flood, the saint was destroyed in 94 pieces and today it is whole and restored, it is amazing to see.
So if you want to know a little bit more about this open-air museum, I invite you to watch my video about São Luiz do Paraitinga!!
PS: the videos are in Portuguese, so remember to activate the subtitles!
I hope you enjoyed our trip through São Luiz do Paraitinga!!
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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