Paraty History Facts and Timeline

(Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

When Paraty was first colonised by Portuguese settlers in 1667, this rural strip of coastline between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo was no more than a village inhabited by Guaianas Indians.

During the following three decades, however, the area was transformed following the discovery of gold deposits.

History of the Gold Rush

By the start of the 18th century, Paraty had become the main export port for the gold mines based within the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais, further inland. At this time, these were some of the richest and most successful gold mines in the world. Gold shipments from Paraty, whose name translates as literally 'Fish River', travelled the short distance to Rio, before reaching their final European destination, Portugal.


On land, the transfer of gold from Paraty necessitated the construction of the 'Gold Trail', a new road winding nearly 1,250 km / 775 miles all the way to Diamantina. While gold travelled in increasing volumes to the town, in the other direction the Portuguese sent slaves from Africa to work the mines, along with the necessary supplies to fuel this expanding industry. This part of regional history was very much intertwined with the slave trade.

The End of the Trail

While it lasted, the gold rush saw Paraty thrive. The pier and churches, including the Santa Rita and the Nossa Senhora, were built by the Portuguese during this period and are still standing today. However, word of the plentiful gold supply soon attracted greedy pirates.

Frequent pirate attacks soon led to the decline of the town as a centre of the gold trade, while the supply itself also started to reduce. As a result of these combined factors, the Gold Trail inland became little more than a trickle. Two sections of the old road have been uncovered in recent years and have since become a popular destination for tourists and hikers seeking to explore the history of Paraty.

Agricultural Revolution

As the gold industry faded away, in its place farming became big business, representing a significant part of Paraty's history. Sugar was soon the main crop, which led to the production of 'cachaca' (a traditional liquor produced by fermenting sugar cane juice). By the 18th century, Paraty had become a byword for Brazil's signature alcoholic drink, and in excess of 200 sugar plantations and distilleries made the city a household name. It was another drink, however, that was to take over.

From 1830, fermenting sugar had given way to coffee production as the main source of income in Paraty, as plantations took over the surrounding countryside. Around the Paraiba River Valley, coffee barons lived in luxury on the back of profits made from the rising popularity of coffee in Europe. Paraty served as the well-placed gateway that connected the plantations to Portugal and beyond.

The Railway Era

By the time that slavery was abolished at the end of the 19th century, the city fell upon hard times. A new railway line joining the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo had made Paraty somewhat obsolete as a port city, while the noticeable absence of cheap labour further compounded the overall decline.

By 1950, there were less than 800 inhabitants, equating to roughly five percent of the population in 1880. In the 1970s, the railway again changed Paraty's fortunes, this time for the better, as the new Rio-Santos line connected the city to the rest of the country. This coincided with the city's accession to the Brazilian Historical Heritage list in the year of 1966, leading to an undeniable surge in tourism.