Brazil, 2006
Photo Gallery 12:
Mariana (1)
Photos by Adam Jones
We now move into stage two of the journey. After 24 hours of buses, from
Florianópolis north to São Paulo, on to Belo Horizonte (Brazil's third-largest
city), and finally to Mariana, I arrived in the heart of the state of Minas Gerais
(General Mines). This was the site of the first great gold rush in modern history:
a striking statistic is that "this area produced in the 18th century as much [gold]
as the rest of the world produced from the 16th to the end of the 19th centuries combined"
(Moon Handbooks: Brazil). The unprecedented boom led to the massive importation
of African slaves, and left a string of gorgeously-appointed colonial towns throughout
the region. Ouro Preto (see later galleries) is the most famous, but Mariana, half an hour
away by bus, was the first, and still impresses as a small city both refined and funky.
I.
II.
This photo and the two following: interior and exterior of the Hotel
Providência, where we stayed. It was built in the 19th century as a convent,
and was turned into a hotel in 1970. This marks the first time I've ever slept
in a nun's quarters (without the nun present, anyway).
III.
IV.
V.
Outside an old-age home across the street
from the Hotel Providência.
VI.
En route to the Igreja São Pedro dos Clérigos. Note the
trippy serpent's-head water spouts.
VII.
The Igreja São Pedro dos Clérigos, one of Mariana's best-known churches.
