São Paulo – Those blue skies that everyone deserves is still there. Along with the coconut groves, the vast beaches, the lagoons that name the state and please the eyes of visitors and locals alike. The different is that in addition to these beauties, tourists passing through the state of Alagoas now have more options aside from the sun-and-sea circuit. And they can take tours of cultural and historical character in the land of the marshals. The new tours are organized into two routes: “Caminhos da Liberdade” (Paths of Freedom) and “Roteiro Integrado da Civilização do Açúcar” (Rica – The Integrated Route of the Sugar Civilization).
The Freedom route comprises the cities of São José da Laje, Murici, Ibateguara and especially União dos Palmares, where mountain range Serra da Barriga is located, the setting for dos Palmares, the largest and most important grouping of black runaway slaves in Brazil. All are located little over an hour’s drive from the capital, Maceió. Aside from the historical value, you can also enjoy attractions such as ecologic tours and birdwatching. “The Quilombo dos Palmares Memorial Park, on Serra da Barriga, is really worth the visit,” claims the director of Articulation, Business and Investment at the Secretariat for Tourism of Alagoas (Setur-AL), Mell Bezerra.
According to Mell, getting to know the region also means learning a bit more about the figure of Zumbi dos Palmares, the most prominent black leader in the history of the country, and not by chance the head of the resistance movement against slavery that was Quilombo dos Palmares. The current Black Awareness Day, celebrated on November 20th, is a reference to the date of Zumbi’s murder in 1695, in an ambush. Once there, in addition to reflecting on the Brazilian past of slavery, pay good attention to the privileged, and green, view of Serra da Barriga. Take good pictures.
Sugar routes
The second route, Rica, includes visitation points in Marechal Deodoro, Rio Largo, União dos Palmares, Pilar, Coruripe, São José da Laje, Maragogi and Maceió. As in the Paths of Freedom, all cities are located one hour’s drive from the capital at most. And you can remain in them one full day without having to rush to see everything.
In Maceió, one of the route’s highlights is the neighbourhood of Jaraguá, declared a Historical and Architectural Heritage Site of Alagoas. Don’t miss Museu Théo Brandão, a museum named after one of the leading scholars in national folklore, and the imposing building of local trade association Associação Comercial de Maceió (lots of pictures, please).
It is worth mentioning a curious fact about the capital of Alagoas: the city originated from a sugarcane mill, “Macai-Ok,” an Indian name meaning “he who covers the marsh.”
Continuing along the routes of sugar, the Usina Leão mill, in Rio Largo, was the first one implemented in Alagoas using own capital, from the state government. It operated as a mill up until 1894, and now houses a Cultural Institute open to tourist visitation. Let yourself be carried away by the mood of times past and enjoy the day.
Along the same lines, another good tip in the Rica is to go to Fazenda Marrecas (Marrecas Farm), in the coastal municipality of Maragogi, on the North Shore of Alagoas. Located in a plot of 20,000 square metres, the farm is regarded as one of the most important examples of the sugarcane production cycle in colonial Brazil. The main house, for instance, dates from 1780.
Now a hotel, Marrecas still bears features of the old slave quarters (on which part of the suites have been erected) and a chapel. There are also attractions such as carriage rides and eco-routes. And what is best: you don’t even have to stay there overnight if you don’t want to. You can only spend the day and have lunch in peace.
Wrapping up the list of highlights in your historical-cultural tour of the land of writer Graciliano Ramos, visiting Marechal Deodoro is a must. The first capital of Alagoas, the 16th century city pays homage to the proclaimer of the Republic and first president of Brazil, Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca. Want another good reason? It housese the largest set of seafood establishments in Latin america, at Povoado da Massagueira (Peopling of Massagueira). When in doubt, faced with so many options to satisfy your hunger for fried fish and coconut-sauced shrimp, try the highly tradition (and highly attended by the locals) Bar da Ilha and Bar do Pato.
Psyched? Well, to be able to take all these tours, check out the detailed information on the Setur-AL website, rent a car of your own in Maceió, and you will be able to come and go on the same day easily. Or else, what is even more practical, hire the services of one of the tour operators authorized by the secretariat to offer the routes (see the companies below). Whichever way, learn that yes, a bit of history will make your season in the state even nicer.
Service
Secretariat for Tourism of Alagoas
www.turismoalagoas.al.gov.br
Fazenda Marrecas
www.salinas.com.br/marrecas/pt/home/home.php
Marechal Deodoro
www.marechaldeodoro.al.gov.br
Accredited Operators
Aeroturismo
www.aeroturismo.com.br
Caminhos das Alagoas
www.caminhosdasalagoas.blogspot.com
Costazul Turismo
www.costazulturismo.com.br
Luau Turismo
www.luauturismo.com.br
Transamérica Turismo
www.transamericatur.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
