Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity
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How it came to be
Paraty, on the coast of south-eastern Brazil, began as a village in 1597 and became a Portuguese town in 1667. Its name is said to mean river of fish in the local Indigenous language.
After rich gold mines were found in Minas Gerais in 1696, Paraty became the port shipping gold to Rio de Janeiro and on to Portugal. The stone-paved Gold Route over the mountains linked mines and port, and enslaved Africans were taken along it to the mines. Pirate raids led to a safer overland route, and when the gold ran out in the late 18th century the town declined.
It keeps its 18th-century street plan and much colonial architecture. With four protected areas of Atlantic Forest and the island of Ilha Grande, it was inscribed in 2019. Quilombola, Guarani and Caiçara communities live here.
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