Guaratiba
Guaratiba, Barra de Guaratiba e Pedra de Guaratiba









In the beginning the region was called “Guratiba-Aitinga”, or “Aratuquacima”, which is an indigenous word used by the Tupinambás Indians, who lived in the coast of Rio at the time of the discovery of Brazil.




The word Guaratiba means “place where there are lots of herons”. It is easy to see how the word was created: “guará”, means “bird”, and “tiba “, which indicates “place with lots of things”.




From there : Guaratiba. The meaning still holds on, as today we continue to be charmed by groups of white Herons in Guaratiba marshlands.




Nowadays the region is sought for people who are attracted to the seafood restaurants in this bucolic region.









Barra de Guaratiba









Located at 60 km from the center of the City of Rio de Janeiro and 30km from Campo Grande (a busy district), Barra de Guaratiba is one of the most beautiful and enchanting places in the West Region. The one who sees it for the first time, is impressed, others, who already know it, never tire of wonder at it.









Arriving in Barra de Guaratiba, one sees, in the foreground, the bridges that connect it to the Restinga de Marambaia; further ahead there is the Espia Hill, on the top of which lays open a wide horizon view. Going down one finds a small beach washing the hill rocks.









From the Espia Hill, with a rough sea, one can see an immense foam mantle caused by constant waves, breaking and rolling up to the guiriri (a plant that cover all the extension of the marsh, which produces small coconuts). In bad weather the surfers take advantage of the big waves or get into “tube” ones that are frequently formed there.









With a calm sea, the cove at the Barra de Guaratiba beach is used as harbor for boats, mainly for the “traineiras” that are moored there during the fishermen leisure time.









On the beach, the coming and going of the boats and canoes, some of which are used for fishing and some for outings, is a pleasant sight.




The warm and friendly welcome of the local people is the best part of it.









Guaratiba’s beautiful landscape has been used as a scenery for films and TV soap operas . Some stores (in the area) still use the name “Gabriela”, title of a TV series which was inspired on Jorge Amado’s book of the same name. Famous artists come to the region specially to Guaratiba, which pleases its inhabitants and gives prestige to the place.









In a small and quiet place, everything that happened was talked in every corner. The social meetings happened in church cults, tocatas ( musical encounters ) house of friends, and once a year in the feast of the local saints: in the N.S.das Dores Church worshiped in its church in Barra de Guaratiba, in the N.S.Saúde Church, the oldest one which is on the top of “Vendinha” hill.




It is also feasted in Saint Peter, the fishermen patron which is also commemorated in the beaches and is one of the best feasts in Guaratiba, as many competitions take place, such as swimming, rowing, maritime procession, tugs of war, football games and many others. S.Sebastão has its feast in any of the churches.




There is also the lovely N.S.do Desterro Church, build by the sea, one of the oldest churches in town.mar.








The worshiping of patron saints is an old religion practice since the beginning of the Portuguese settlement in Guaratiba.









First Inhabitants









In the records of S.Salvador do Mundo Church in the Guaratiba area, it says that the Barra de Guaratiba region started to be inhabited from March 1579, when Manoel Velloso Espinha, who lived in Vila dos Santos, and fought beside Estacio de Sá against the Tamoio indians, asked the Portuguese Crown the donation of a “sesmaria (piece of land that the King of Portugal gave to his most loyal subjects) located to the north of a island called Marambaia da Barra (today Restinga de Marambaia), by the coast including a island called Guratiba-Aitinga or Aratuquacima (today Barra de Guaratiba), with all the waters, entrances and exits, as they were developed to be populated a per order of His Majesty.









The same citizen justified its request by saying that he had used a ship of his property, with his people, slaves and money, to conquer for the Portuguese Crown the River Tamio-Franceses and Cabo Frio (a city on the coast), besides having contributed to the defeat of the Tamoios indians supporting Estacio de Sá.









The donation was granted, under the requirement of populating the land in a period of 3 years, with his heirs and descendents, with no taxes to be paid to the crown except the one to the church.









There is no doubt that the occupation of Guaratiba land started then, by the Portuguese setlers. From 1750 on, a hundred and seventy and one years later, Dom Fradique de Quevedo Rondon, at the time a landowner, donated part of this land to the S.Salvador do Mundo church.









Invaders Disembark









There is strong evidence that it was in Barra de Guaratiba that the French invaders disembarked in 1710, when the corsair Duclerc realized that he could not break the fire barrier of the Santa Cruz Fortress to penetrate in the Guanabara Bay. There is also indication that the Restinga de Marambaia was used as focal point of black slaves traffic in the 18th century.









Pedra de Guaratiba









The name “Pedra de Guaratiba” was created in the division of land in Barra de Guaratiba by the heirs of Manoel Velloso Espinha.




With his dead , his two sons Jerônimo Velloso Cubas and Manoel Espinha Filho inherited the Freguesia de Guaratiba. They decided to divide between them the inherited land, Jerônimo got the north side and Manoel the east side, with the Piraquê River as boundary.









As Jerônimo did not have heirs he was forced by law to donate his part to the Carmelitana Fluminense, a religious congregation of the Carmo Order. The congregation built many edifices such as a church, a convent and a sugar mill.









In the sugar mill there was a vast sugar plantation, with a substantial production of sugar and “rapadura” (burnt sugar bar) which developed the whole region.




In this area appeared the Pedra Farm, the region today called Pedra de Guaratiba, which is a fishing community.There is also the lovely N.S.do Desterro Church, build by the sea, one of the oldest churches in town.mar