Belem - Culture

Belém is the capital of the State of Pará, the largest city in the North of Brazil and the gateway to the Amazon region.

It is a city outlined by rivers, waterways and channels. Because of this abundance of water, the equatorial heat is transformed in to coolness and pleasure. A seemingly typical Amazonic city, with forest, jungle, woods, and all the exuberance of the fauna and flora of the region, Belém amazes one because it maintains some harmony between the "cabocla" life and the agitation of a capital with 1.5 million inhabitants.

In the first hours of the morning the Ver-o-Peso market is teeming with activity. Boats of all sizes arrive, bringing fruit, meat, fish and many other products.

Only in Belém, for example, it is possible, in less than 10 minutes, to leave the modern world of comfortable hotels, restaurants, cinemas and, like in a trip through time, cross the rivers that surround the city, to see the river dwellers begin their day. Here, the rhythm is different its beat is of simplicity and isolation but it is the same in all the Island Region "the archipelago of Belém" - the islands of Belém.

The Catholic churches of Belém are beautiful architectural monuments. The Mercês Church, the oldest in the city (late 17th century), is built in the purest baroque style and the Cathedral contains impressive paintings. Also worth visiting are Santo Alexandre Church and Nossa Senhora de Nazaré Basilica, site of the annual Círio de Nazaré parade, the most important in the North region. Among the many historic buildings, the Paz Theater is especially noteworthy.

Belém's beautiful, tree-lined streets and squares also have many excellent hotels and restaurants. The modern airport is regularly serviced by flights from the United States, Latin America and most Brazilian cities.

The city can also be reached by highway from Brasília and the Northeast. Belém still preserves a small part of the Amazon forest within the city limits in the Rodrigues Alves Forest, a lovely park where the original plant life has been protected.

Nature lovers will also appreciate the Goeldi Museum containing the largest collection of tropical plants in the world plus a zoological garden, a botanical garden, an excellent library, and a rich collection of pottery and ceramics from nearby Marajó Island. 

In Belém, one can taste the best of the region's cuisine. Medicines and perfumes come from the forest, the water and the land as also does the base of foods. Açaí, cupuaçu, bacuri, uxi, bacaba, pupunha, mango, Brazil nuts and dozens of other delicious, exotic and nutritive fruits are responsible, along with fish and manioc
flour, for the survival of a large part of the population.

All over town, mango trees decorate the streets and help fight the heat. Aside from its high temperatures, Belém is known for its other climatic characteristic - its afternoons downpours, nearly everyday. Their timing is so regular that we used to say that people make appointments for before or after the rain, instead of a given hour.