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Chapada Diamantina
The legend says that, around 1844, a certain Cazuza de Prado and his slave
left Mucugê, in the interior of the state of Bahia, looking for diamonds.
The discovery of precious stones where today we call Chapada Diamantina
soon started attracting miners and tradesmen to the region. In 1856, the
human concentration settled there was named Vila de Lençóis (Bed-sheet Village).
Some say the name comes from the sequence of tents next to each other: seen
from above, it gave the illusion of a true “city of bed sheets”. Another
version refers to the rock slates through which a certain river flowed,
forming a sheet of froth on the riverbed. Leaving legends aside, the fact
is that, at the peak of its mining cycle, Lençóis was the world's largest
diamond producer, a position currently held by Angola. In 1870, thank the
wealth created by mining, the city already imported fashions, styles and
novelties from Europe.
At saraus (social gatherings where music was played and poems were read),
it was common to see diamonds sewn onto guests' garments. Declared a National
Heritage Site in 1973, Lençóis preserves its colonial houses built during
the diamond mining era. Amongst the major attractions, Senhor dos Passos
Church (not altogether incidentally the miners' patron), built in adobe
by slaves in 90 days.
Highlights:
- The historical cities of Lençóis and Xique-Xique do Iguatu
- Breakfast at Estalagem do Alcino
- The hospitality and friendliness of the people who live in the region
- Baked tucunaré (bass) at Seu Neco's home
- Pati Valley trail
- The hundreds of waterfalls throughout Chapada Diamantina, amongst them
Sossego and Fumaça
- The region's unique geomorphology, with its plateaus, valleys, grottos
and caves