Brazil – Pernambuco (Recife) Feb 5-6, 2022
After a busy afternoon seeing Joao Pessoa, I caught the 6 pm bus to Recife (Progresso, 120 km, 50 BR).
PERNAMBUCO. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, it is the seventh-most populous state of Brazil. Its capital and largest city, Recife, is one of the most important economic and urban hubs in the country.
The contemporary state inherits its name from the Captaincy of Pernambuco, established in 1534. The region was originally inhabited by Tupi-Guarani-speaking peoples. European colonization began in the 16th century, under mostly Portuguese rule interrupted by a brief period of Dutch rule, followed by Brazilian independence in 1822. Large numbers of slaves were brought from Africa during the colonial era to cultivate sugarcane, and a significant portion of the state’s population has some amount of African ancestry.
The state has rich cultural traditions thanks to its varied history and peoples. Brazilian Carnivals in Recife and the historic colonial capital of Olinda are renowned: the Galo da Madrugada parade in Recife has held world records for its size.
Historically a center of sugarcane cultivation due to the favorable climate, the state has a modern economy dominated by the services sector today, though large amounts of sugarcane are still grown. The coming of democracy in 1985 has brought the state progress and challenges in turn: while economic and health indicators have improved, inequality remains high.
Geography.
The Fernando de Noronha Islands, 354 km from the mainland, form a “state district” of Pernambuco.
Pernambuco comprises a comparatively narrow coastal zone, a high inland plateau, and an intermediate zone formed by the terraces and slopes between the two.
Its surface is much broken by the remains of the ancient plateau which has been worn down by erosion, leaving escarpments and ranges of flat-topped mountains, called chapadas, capped in places by horizontal layers of sandstone.
Climate. The middle zone, called the agreste region, has a drier climate and lighter vegetation, including the semi-deciduous Pernambuco interior forests, where many trees lose their leaves in the dry season.
The inland region, called the sertão is high, stony, and dry, and frequently devastated by prolonged droughts (secas). The climate is characterized by hot days and cool nights. There are two clearly defined seasons, a rainy season from March to June, and a dry season for the remaining months. The interior of the state is covered mostly by the dry thorny scrub vegetation called caatinga. The Rio São Francisco is the main water source for this area.
The climate is milder in the countryside of the state because of the Borborema Plateau (“Planalto da Borborema”, popularly known as “Serra das Russas” or “Russians’ Mountain”). Some towns are located more than 1000 meters above sea level, and temperatures there can descend to 10 °C (50 °F) and even 5 °C (41 °F) in some cities (i.e., Triunfo) during the winter.
The volcanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha in the Atlantic Ocean, 535 km northeast of Recife, has been part of Pernambuco since 1988.
Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue in Mauritsstad (Recife), the first synagogue in the Americas
Demographics. According to a genetic study from 2013, Pernambucans have 56.8% European, 27.9% African and 15.3% Amerindian ancestries.
Under Dutch rule, Jewish culture developed in Recife. Many Jews, having fled the Inquisition in Iberia had sought refuge in the Netherlands. The Jewish community established themselves in Dutch Brazil and would later migrate elsewhere in the Americas.
Economy. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 73.2%, followed by the industrial sector at 21.6%. Agribusiness represents 5.2% of GDP (2006). Pernambuco exports: sugar 35.6%, fruit and juice 12.6%, fish and crustacean 12.3%, electric products 11.1%, chemicals 7.1%, woven 5.6% (2002).
Petrolina. The largest Brazilian producer of grapes, mangoes, and guavas, also known for goat and sheep ranching.
Tourism and recreation. The Pernambuco coastline is 187 km long. There are about 187 kilometers (116 mi) of beaches, including at Porto de Galinhas, Carneiros and Calhetas.
Fernando de Noronha is an isolated group of 21 volcanic islands approximately 540 km from Recife. The main islands are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains, islets, and rocks. The Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha hosts ecological sites ideal for exuberant marine animal life, due to its geographic location far from the continent and well within the path of the Southern Equatorial Currents, as well as the nature of its climate.
Porto de Galinhas. It features warm clear water pools scattered around its coral reefs, estuaries, mangroves, coconut trees and a number of other samples of abundant nature richness making Porto de Galinhas a place not to be missed or forgotten.
Boa Viagem. Located in the privileged southern Recife metropolitan area, Boa Viagem is the most important and frequented beach in town. It is protected by a long reef wall and has an extensive coastline.
Itamaracá island. Separated from the mainland by the Canal Santa Cruz, it has several highly frequented beaches. Among them are Forte Orange, Praia do Sossego and Pontal da Ilha. The island houses the Marine Manatee Preservation Center.
Maracaípe, a beach with big waves which hosts a phase of the Brazilian Surf Tournament. Highly frequented by surfers and neighbors to Porto de Galinhas, Maracaípe.
Tamandaré. Small waves and fine sand can be found there.
Calhetas, a small bay of difficult access. Searched for by many for diving.
Coroa do Avião, a small island in the middle of the Jaguaribe River delta, which can be reached only by boat or raft, from Recife or Itamaracá.
The bus from Natal arrived at 8:30 pm to the very unusual monstrosity of the Rodoviaria of Recife. It is 17 km from the center but there is a metro line (4.5 BR) that gives good access. Arriving at 9:30, I decided to walk the 1.8 km to my hostel through mostly deserted streets. One square had several bars and many tables filled with people and music.
The hostel (Zili Pernambuco 55 BR) is very well organized with a plethora of locked gates and padlocks. Up early, I worked on an article called “Walking” from the excellent book “First Steps” and sent it to Bev as walking plays such a big role in our lives.
I did my washing and hung it out to dry and then caught a city bus to Olinda. I had downloaded the excellent app Moovit with superb bus info, but neglected to follow Google Maps and went past Olinda by 2 kms. It was a long, hot walk to the historic district.
OLINDA
Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda World Heritage Sites. Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, the town’s history is linked to the sugar-cane industry. Rebuilt after being looted by the Dutch, its basic urban fabric dates from the 18th century. The harmonious balance between the buildings, gardens, 20 Baroque churches, convents and numerous small passos (chapels) all contribute to Olinda’s particular charm.
The exceptional ensemble of landscape, urbanism and architecture found in the Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda is an eloquent reflection of the prosperity nourished by the sugar economy. Founded in 1535 on hillsides overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Brazil’s northeast coast, close to the isthmus of Recife where its port is situated, Olinda served from the last years of the 16th century onward as one of the most important centres of the sugarcane industry, which for almost two centuries was the mainstay of the Brazilian economy. This former capital of the Portuguese administrative division (capitania) of Pernambuco became the symbol of sugar and of the wealth it procured. Its historic centre today is marked by a number of architecturally outstanding buildings set in the lush vegetation of gardens, hedgerows and convent precincts, a mass of greenery bathed in tropical light with the sandy shore and ocean below.
Rebuilt by the Portuguese after being looted and burned by the Dutch, Olinda’s existing historic fabric dates largely from the 18th century, although it incorporates some older monuments such as the 16th-century church of São João Batista dos Militares. Olinda became a remarkable nucleus, first as an economic, architectural and artistic centre, and later as a centre for the renewal of ideas.
It is dominated by the Catedral Alto da Sé, the former Jesuit church and college (now the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça), the Palácio Episcopal, the Misericórdia church, the convents of the Franciscans, Carmelites and Benedictines, and various public buildings ranging from the 17th to 19th centuries. The studied refinement of the decor of these architectural works contrasts with the charming simplicity of the houses, many of which are painted in vivid colours or faced with ceramic tiles.
I walked to the church Igreja Nosso Senhora do Amparo but it was closed. Built first in 1575, it was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1644 and that is what was marked above the door. It is white with yellow stone and green doors.
I walked up the hill and along several viewpoints high above the town. There are many more churches and tourist stands. I had a cold coconut at one viewpoint and then spent an hour outside the cathedral waiting for it to open and talked to a photographer for a while.
Catedral da Se. I didn’t open until 1 pm. It is on top of the hill in a very touristic area.
It has 3 naves separated by great stone columns. The four chapels per side unusually each have a large painting on wood and two have tombs. At the front two side chapels are gilt. The vaulted ceilings are dark brown wood. Free
Contemporary Art Museum. Opening at 2 pm, It was an interesting walk down some stairs and through side streets to the museum. Not very interesting art. 10 BR
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Desterro. (Church of Santa Teresa) It was built in 1661 in fulfillment of a promise, after the victory achieved against the Dutch in the Battle of Montes dos Tabocas . In 1686 the church was handed over to the friars of Santa Teresa, from which its second name comes, and next to it the Convent of Santa Teresa was built, later expanded. When the Teresians left the convent, Santa Casa de Misericórdia took over its administration, installing an orphanage.
The church constitutes an expressive architectural ensemble, with a façade with stonework profiles and an ornate niche, and a Franciscan-influenced three-arched porch in the Mannerist style . The altars boast exquisite gilded carvings in the Rococo style , with precious images of saint-makers from Pernambuco, and tiles from the time of Dona Maria I. Location is down below in the town at 8° 01′ 19″ S 34° 51′ 34″ W.
I walked down through the town and then tried to get a bus but had no data so Moovit didn’t work and I couldn’t find out which bus stop to use. So I mooched wifi at a restaurant and called an Uber and drove into Recife to see some of the sites on the island.
RECIFE ( pop 1,653,461, metro 4,054,866) is the fourth-largest urban area in Brazil, the largest urban area of the North/Northeast Regions, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The first slave port in the Americas, Recife was founded in 1537, during the early Portuguese colonization of Brazil, as the main harbor of the Captaincy of Pernambuco, known for its large scale production of sugar cane. It was the former capital Mauritsstad of the 17th century colony of New Holland of Dutch Brazil, established by the Dutch West India Company. The city is located at the confluence of the Beberibe and Capibaribe rivers before they flow into the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic. Its name is an allusion to the stone reefs that are present by the city’s shores. The many rivers, small islands and over 50 bridges found in Recife city centre characterise its geography and led to the city being called the “Brazilian Venice”. Major products are those derived from cane (sugar and ethanol), motor vehicles, ships, oil platforms, electronics, software, and others. With fiscal incentives by the government, many industrial companies were started in the 1970s and 1980s.
A combination of a large supply of labor and significant private investments turned Recife into Brazil’s second largest medical hub (the first being São Paulo); modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment receive patients from several neighbouring States.
Recife stands out as a major tourist attraction of the Northeast, both for its beaches and for its historic sites, dating back to both the Portuguese and the Dutch colonization of the region. The beach of Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the city, has been repeatedly awarded the title of best beach in Brazil and has drawn many tourists. The Historic Centre of Olinda, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) north of the city, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, and both cities’ Brazilian Carnival are among the world’s most famous.
Marco Zero Square. Sitting on the banks of the river, this large square was a hub of activity on a Sunday afternoon – roller bladers, skate boards, dogs, families and many just hanging out. In the center of the square is a flat bronze disc marking the Zero point of Pernambuco.
Museu Cais do Sertão. In the NM Music, Film and Photography Museum series, this museum has an eclectic collection of decorated leather clothing, music, agricultural and other ethnographic material. 5 BR
Embassy of Pernambuco. On the oldest street in Recife, it was created to house the most well known characters from Carnival. They are giant dolls which, during Carnival time, parade all over the state. The building sits on a corner and appears to have not been open for some time. The outside has several large photographs.
São João Batista do Brum. During the second Dutch Invasions of Brazil (1630-1654), the ruined Fort of São Jorge was demolished, and with its material, and its artillery, the new fort, Forte Novo de São Jorge was started in 1629, and was invaded in 1630, damaged and completed in 1630 by the Dutch and called Fort Bruyne (for corruption, Brum). Reconquered by the Portuguese in 1654 and reconstructed using stone taken from the abandoned ruins of the São Jorge Novo Fort as an irregular polygon, and surrounded by a moat. It has been restored and open to the public since 1987, the Military Museum of Forte do Brum (MMFB), which exhibits weapons and archaeological pieces.
Ricardo Brennand Institute. Opened in 2002 by the Brazilian collector and businessman Ricardo Brennand, who owned several factories in the Northeast making cement, tiles, glass, porcelain and sugar. It has a museum, art gallery, library and a large park. It has a permanent collection of diverse historic and art objects ranging from Early Middle Ages to 20th century, with an emphasis on Colonial and Dutch Brazil, including the world’s largest assemblage of paintings by Frans Post. The Institute also houses one of the largest collections of armory in the world, with 3,000 pieces. The library has over 62 thousand volumes, ranging from 16th to 20th century, including a collection of brasiliana and other rare items. The collection of decorative arts includes objects from Europe, Asia and Africa, dating back to the 17th century, such as candlesticks, candelabra, jugs, mosaics, stained glass windows, miniature caskets, Chinese ceramics, musical instruments, longcase clocks, and furniture is mostly English and French.
The Institute is headquartered in a castle-like set of structures, named “Castelo de São João”. The complex is surrounded by a 18,000 hectares (44,000 acres) garden with artificial lakes and a number of large-size sculptures, such as The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin, The lady and the horse by Fernando Botero, and other works by Sonia Ebling, Leopoldo Martins.
Oficina Brennard. In the NM Bizzarium series, the expansive indoor and outdoor space in Várzea, 11km west of central Recife, is now mostly dedicated to his enormous and fascinating collection of paintings, tile work and hundreds of highly original sculptures.
The grounds, set amid thick Atlantic rainforest, include a couple of temples, Moorish arches and all sorts of surreal sculptures, including rows of contorted busts and a garden of bizarre sexualized earthworms.
It’s best reached by a CDU/Caxangá bus from Boa Viagem to the end of its route on Rua Acadêmico Hélio Ramos, then a taxi round-trip to both here and Instituto Ricardo Brennand
I left the hostel at 9 to see a few sites I had missed and to see the church and Capelea Dorado that were closed on Sunday.
Leite Restaurant. Serving classic Brazilian food, it has a large square dining area, nice white linen table cloths and a knight in armour at the door.
Sao Jose Market. This large market is primarily handicrafts and clothes in a warren of small shops and narrow ailes. The far side had fish and meat. No produce.
Riomar Recife. Another large shopping mall with nothing unusual.
Capela Dourada. Attached to the church is the Golden Chapel , separated from the nave by a large barred arch, on the left. In the sacristy , a large amount of precious objects of worship and other works of art are kept, such as 18th century furniture with silver ornamentation , the work of the master carver José Gomes de Figueiredo, as well as washbasins and oil paintings. Behind the sacristy there is a small cemetery , where a stone cross built in 1840 stands.
See two small rooms if religious artifacts and cross the cloister to this wonder of gilt and old paintings. There is no altar but choir chairs and a railing in the middle. In the center of the ceiling is a nice stained glass piece.
In the 19th century, the Church of Santo Antônio housed the “cemetery of the infamantes” or “of shame”, where indigents, slaves and martyrs of revolutions, such as the Pernambuco revolutionaries of 1817 , were buried . One of the heroes of the Pernambuco Insurrection , Henrique Dias , was also buried there. 10 BR
Unusually, a large iron grille separates the chapel from the church next door.
Convento e Igreja de Santo Antônio is a Catholic architectural complex belonging to the Franciscan Order. The building complex, in addition to the convent and church, also includes the Capela Dourada (the first Brazilian temple to be fully covered in Baroque decoration) and the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco .
The Convento de São Francisco de Olinda and the Convento de Santo Antônio do Recife were the two main Franciscan convents in Brazil in the 17th century, and represent, together with the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres dos Montes Guararapes , the most important collection of tiles. 17th century (belonging to the first tile phase) in Brazilian lands.
The Franciscan Convent of Santo Antônio is one of the oldest buildings still existing in the city of Recife. Its origin dates back to 1606,
The convent has great artistic interest, presenting numerous works of art, furniture carved in rosewood and various sacred objects. The tile panels in the entrance and above all in the cloister stand out. They make up large panels with varied scenes, illustrating biblical episodes such as the Flood , the death of Adam , the sacrifice of Isaac, the expulsion from Eden and others. There is also a rare series of tiles with about 900 pieces installed as a frieze outside the balcony of the upper floor of the cloister, each with an individualized figure, dating from between 1630 and 1650.
In the convent’s chapel there are also noteworthy tiles, illustrative of the Rosary of Our Lady, and a pulpit by Francisco Manuel Béranger, from the early 19th century, in addition to beautiful furniture.
The present Church of Santo Antônio is the successor of the primitive oratory built together with the convent in the 17th century. In the early 18th century the oratory was replaced by a larger church, again remodeled between 1753 and 1770 , which lent it its current rococo style.
5 BR to see the Dutch tiles.
I walked back to my hostel and caught an Uber to the metro station. The metro was a riot of touts selling everything from candy to hair cream. Guitar players where in the cars.
At the rodoviaria, I was able to get a bus to Maceio (Real Alogoas 85 BR, 255 km) leaving in 25 minutes at noon. Great timing.
Tentative WHS: Brazilian Fortresses Ensemble (30/01/2015)
Islands: Itamaraca
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Itamaraca: Fort Orange
Tamandare: Santo Inacio de Loyola Fort
World of Nature: Acaú-Goiana Reserve
Beaches: Praia dos Carneiros
Cities of the Americas
CARUARU
GARANHUNS
SANTA CRUZ do CAPIBARIBE
VITORIA de SANTO ANTAO
PETROLINA
Airports: Petrolina (PNZ)
Music, Film and Photography Museums: Petrolina: Museu do Sertão
==============================================================Brazil – Alagoas (Maceio) Feb 6-7, 2022
ALAGOAS borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. It has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces only 0.8% of the Brazilian GDP. It is also one of the largest producers of sugarcane and coconuts in the country, and has an economy based on cattle raising.
The Dutch invasion in Pernambuco was extended to Alagoas in 1631. The invaders were expelled in 1645, after intense fighting in Porto Calvo, leaving the economy in ruins. The escape of African slaves during the Dutch invasion created a serious labour shortage problem on the sugarcane plantations. Grouped in villages called quilombos, the Africans were only completely dominated at the end of the 17th century with the destruction of the most important quilombo, Palmares.
I arrived in Maceio at about 4:30 pm, booked a bus to Aracaju for 7:30, stored my luggage and decided to walk 2km to a mall to eat. Of the four things to see in Maceio, all are museums and three were closed. The walk however was worth more than all the museums. It took me through a slum – narrow dirt path access and through the houses, tiny homes along a disgusting creeek full of garbage, pipes running from all the houses directly into the creek – probably quite unsafe at night and I didn’t return that way, but got an Uber.
MACEIO (pop metro1,156,287 is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name “Maceió” is an Indigenous term for a spring. There are numerous maceiós and lakes in this part of Brazil; because of this, the city was named Maceió, and the state, Alagoas. The new Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport connects Maceió with many Brazilian cities and also operates some international flights.
The city began in an old sugar mill and plantation complex around the 19th century. Its development started with the arrival of ships taking wood from Jaraguá bay. With the installation of the sugar mills, Maceió started to export sugar, then tobacco, coconut, leather, and some spices.
The city is located between the Mundaú Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, with a tropical climate with very warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year.
The natural vegetation surrounding Maceió is tropical rainforest.
Economy. One substantial local industry is based on chemical products from brine pumped from deep wells on the outskirts of Maceió. Another substantial industry is the production of ethanol and sugar from sugarcane grown in the region. In the last thirty years the tourist industry has transformed the coastal areas of the city into vibrant centers of entertainment for Brazilian and foreign tourists (Americans, Italians, French, Germans, Argentinians, etc.).
Maceió is home to numerous beaches, the color of sea varying from emerald green to blue; the water is always clear. The sand is white and there are many coconut plantations.
Historical buildings include the Cathedral of Our Lady of Pleasures (1840), the Deodoro Theatre, the Municipal Market, the Historical Institute Museum and the Floriano Peixoto Palace, seat of Alagoas State government.
Theo Brandao Museum of Anthropology and Folklore (closed)
Floriano Peixoto Palace
Republic Memorial
Image and Sound Museum
House and Biographical Museums: Palmeira dos Índios: Casa Museu Graciliano Ramos
World of Nature
Piaçabuçu Protected Area
São Francisco River Monument Park
Lakes: Lagoa Mundaú
Beaches: Praia do Gunga
Villages and Small Towns
MARAGOGI
Beaches: Praia de Maragogi
PENEDO
Cities of the Americas
ARAPIRACA
==============================================================
Brazil – Sergipe (Aracaju) Feb 7-8, 2022
SERGIPE. Located in the Northeast Region along the Atlantic coast, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil. Sergipe borders Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north. Aracaju is the capital and the largest city in the state.
As with most of the states in northeastern Brazil, inland Sergipe is almost entirely savanna (caatinga), and its coastline is characterized by mangroves, swamps and sandy beaches. A small strip of tropical rainforest runs down the coast.
The São Francisco River forms its northern boundary. There is a sandy belt along the coast, and the western frontier is slightly mountainous. The land in between is very fertile, especially in the forested region where rainfall is abundant. Further inland, the year is divided into wet and dry seasons with occasional prolonged droughts. These are pastoral areas, and the lower fertile lands are cultivated.
Sergipe’s economy is focused around the production of sugarcane (or the manufacture of sugar and ethanol), coconut, orange and cassava. A small-scale leather and textile industry also exists.
I left Maceio at 7:30 pm for the 277 km drive (Empresa Rota, 85 BR, 6 hours) arriving at 01:30. I read for a while and finally put out my sleeping bag in the departures area, getting a good sleep.
ARACAJU (pop. 479 767 in 2003), on the lower course or estuary of the Cotinguiba River, near the coast. The sandbar at the entrance to this river is exceptionally dangerous, and the port is frequented only by coasting vessels of light draught. The city is found on a sandy plain, and there are sand dunes within the city limits. In 1911, the main public buildings included a large plain church with unfinished twin towers, the government palace, the legislative halls, a public school and public hospital.
After some BF, I bought my ticket for Salvador (85 BR) leaving at 11:50, left my luggage in the depot and caught an Uber to Sao Cristovao (25 BR) – taxi is the only way to get here.
SAO CRISTOVAO (pop 91,093) is a Brazilian municipality 18 km from Aracuju. Founded at the mouth of the Vaza-Barris River on January 1, 1590, the municipality is the fourth oldest settlement in Brazil. São Cristóvão is noted for its historic city square, São Francisco Square, and numerous early colonial-period buildings. The 3 hectares (7.4 acres) site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
São Cristóvão was established by the Portuguese (in a time when Portugal, Spain and the Naples kingdoms were under the rule of Philip II of Spain) as one of the first colonization attempts in Sergipe, which makes the city the fourth oldest one in Brazil. In 1590 the Portuguese sent Cristóvão de Barros to both subjugate the region to colonial rule and establish a safe trading port between Salvador and Pernambuco. De Barros quickly and violently defeated the local population, which consisted of people of mixed Tupinambá and French heritage who maintained a trade in Brazilwood. As a symbol of his victory De Barros founded a small village named for his patron saint, Saint Christopher.
The development of the town followed the Portuguese urban model, that is, in two plans: the higher town, where the headquarters of the civil and religious powers are; and lower town, with the harbour, the factories, and the low income population. The economy of São Cristóvão initially depended on the establishment of cattle herds for meat, milk, and leather. The settlement was completely destroyed by the Dutch in 1637. Tobacco and sugarcane plantations were established in the 17th century, and remained into the modern period. São Cristóvão was the state capital until 1855, when the provincial president Inácio Joaquim Barbosa moved the capital to Aracaju.
In 1967, the city was designated a national monument to preserve its colonial architecture, and it is now home to ten national heritage sites of Brazil.
The religious sites of São Cristóvão remain an important center of Roman Catholic pilgrimage in Brazil. The Museum of Sacred Art of the Church and Convent of São Francisco is considered the third most important in Brazil.
São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão (Praça São Francisco) WHS is an open space surrounded by colonial-period buildings such as the São Francisco Church and convent, the Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the Provincial Palace and other buildings from later periods. The complex is a well-preserved example of typical Franciscan architecture of north-eastern Brazil.
Church and Convent of Santa Cruz, or Convent of Saint Francis and the Church of the Good Jesus of Glory, now the Sacred Art Museum. The main church on Sao Francisco Square.
Misericórdia Hospital and Church (Portuguese: Igreja e Santa Casa da Misericórdia). Presently the municipal hall also on the main square along with the Folklore Musuem.
Parish Church of Our Lady of Victory (Portuguese: Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Vitória). A single nave church with a Baroque altar.
Church of the Third Order of Mount Carmel (Portuguese: Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo). Has 6 lovely wood-carved altars and a quirky museum full of hands, arms, legs, feet and heads most carved from wood but some also from paraffin. There is also small houses, two large pots of hair, and hundreds of photos of pilgrims. Separated by a small cloister is the Church and Convent of Mount Carmel
Church of Our Lady of Protection of the Mulattoes (Portuguese: Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo). Under reconstruction.
It is best to visit after 10 when the Sacred Art and Folklore Musuems open.
I got another Uber back to Aracaju, saw the market and walked to the next two.
Thales Ferraz Municipal Market. This large market has many handicraft stalls selling a lot of knick-knacks plus embroidery and many eating places.
Olimpio Campos Palace. Has a museum exhibiting the political and economic history of Sergipe. The museum is surrounded by a lush green landscape and artificial ponds. The collection includes items used by governors until the 19th century. Nearby, you will find the Metropolitan Cathedral of Aracaju, the busy square full of bars and kiosks, and the Art Gallery of Alvaro Santos. Free
Museum of Sergipe People. Primarily about the six ecoregions of Sergipe plus a timeline of the history. Guides are in each hall. Free
Villages and Small Towns
LARANJEIRAS
World of Nature
São Francisco River Monument Park
Serra de Itabaiana NP
Xingó Canyon
Beaches: Atalaia Beach
Cities of the Americas
LAGARTO
NOSSA SENHORA do SOCORR
I caught the 11:50 bus to Salvador.
