TravelswithCharie

Monument to the Bandereis, Victor Brecheret, 1954, granite Who were the bandeirantes? They were 16th-17th century prospectors who traveled from Sáo Paulo to the hinterlands of Brazil in search of gold. While on these expeditions, they enslaved and killed indigenous people as well as recaptured African slaves who had escaped to the interior. What they did do to earn this monument was to increase the dominion of São Paulo to areas beyond that established by the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas. The monument has been a sore issue with the indigenous people and it came to a head in 2013 when they demonstrated in front of it and spray painted the monument with the words “ bandeirantes assassinos ”. Despite this strong message, there has not been much change on the part of the government to address the issue. In 2016, the monument was doused with red paint and graffiti. The new Mayor at that time took steps to curb these attempts to deface the monument which he described as the “symbol of the city...

Amazing is an overused word but this church, Nossa Senhora do Brasil, is amazing. I didn’t know much about it except for the mention of its beautiful tiles on a blogpost that I read. Yes the tiles are indeed stunning but the ceiling is what really captivated me.  Upon entering the main door of the Church, this ceiling is what greets you. It is a replica of the iconic Creation of Adam by Michelangelo which can be found in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Antonio Paim Vieira, a painter and ceramicist, was in charge of the interior decoration of the Church. He painted the starry sky above the Madonna and Child on the ceiling of the main altar surrounded by Brazilians from various parts of the country dressed in their native costumes. (See below) This gilded and carved wooden altar is from the Church of Sant’Anna de Mogi das Cruzes (an hour northeast of São Paulo).  The statue of the Virgin and Child on the altar has  a fascinating story surrounding its origin. A wooden sta...

Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) I must confess that I went to Brazil with a lot of trepidation. After years of hearing horror stories from tourists who were robbed in Rio, I didn’t believe I could be safe there especially since I travel solo. But I decided to give Brazil a chance after reading and watching videos about the country and figured there must be a way to travel safely. I’m so glad I did because the monument of Christ the Redeemer has been on my bucket list for decades and I finally got to see it. Here are some details about the statue of Christ the Redeemer. The statue which is cast from reinforced concrete and soapstone took nine years to complete. It was designed by Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa in collaboration with Albert Caquot, an artist. The French sculptor, Paul Landowski, created the art deco statue which stands at 98 feet above a pedestal of 26 feet. The Romanian sculptor, Georghe Leonida, was tasked to create the head of Christ. The monument was ...