The Great Decadence: Railways and Abolition
The isolation of almost 70 years was the greatest "conservation" of Brazilian historical heritage. No modernization, no demolition. Brazil advanced; Paraty was stuck in the century. XVIII — and this saved its architecture.
What happened
In 1870, the Dom Pedro II Railway connected Rio to São Paulo via the Paraíba Valley, making Paraty irrelevant as a coffee port. Abolition in 1888 caused an immediate exodus: of the 16,000 inhabitants of 1851, less than 600 "old people, women and children" remained. The city was left without a paved road until 1954 — completely isolated from modern Brazil for almost 70 years.
Why does it matter
The isolation of almost 70 years was the greatest "conservation" of Brazilian historical heritage. No modernization, no demolition. Brazil advanced; Paraty was stuck in the century. XVIII — and this saved its architecture.
Related locations
- The entire Historic Center
- Original stone walls and sidewalks
Sources
- paraty.com.br
- cronicasmacaenses.com