NORTHERN BRAZIL - Brazil - page 264

Salinópolis 2
Pará . * 40,000. k Belém Val de
Caes Airport, 110 miles (180 km)
SE of town, then bus. @ Av Miguel
Santa Brigada. n Paratur (091)
3823 1794.

The town of Salinópolis,
locally known as Salinas, is
just about as far east as the
Amazon river delta reaches.
Very much the traditional
summer resort for city folk,
Salinas has plenty of beaches
fringed with beach huts and
second homes. The busiest
beach is the central Praia
do Macarico , with several
bars and restaurants. More
pleasant still, there is the
Praia do Atalaia , not far from
the center of town, backed by
sand dunes and well provided
with barracas (tents) for food
and drink. A continuation of
this beach, the Praia do Farol
Velho , is thickly lined with
beach houses, and is most
popular during July, when it
can often get rather crowded.

A secluded beach near Souré, Ilha de Marajó
Ilha de Marajó 3
Pará. * 250,000. g from Belém to
Porto Camará. n Trapiche Municipal,
Rua 1, Souré, [phone].

away. There are no motorized
vehicles in the village or on
Maiandeua island, adding to
the remote and idyllic feel.
Electricity only reached the
island in 2004, so facilities
are improving.
The main beach for the
village is the Praia da Vila do
Algodoal . More popular,
however, is the palm-fringed
Praia da Princesa do Farol , a
superb stretch of sand
secluded from the main beach
by a short walk at low tide or
a canoe ride. There are trails
on the island, offering the
opportunity to spot wildlife
and explore the area around
an inland freshwater lake. It
is advisable to carry adequate
cash to visit the island, since
there are no banks or ATMs.

The world's largest river
island, Ilha de Marajó covers
over 18,533 sq miles (48,000
sq km), mostly dedicated to
cattle ranches, or fazendas .
The island is famous for
having the biggest and finest
buffaloes in Brazil. Their
meat, leather, and dairy
products are widely available
to purchase. Ilha de Marajó
was also the ancient home to
the indigenous culture of the
Marajoaras, notable for their
exquisite ceramic burial and
ceremonial urns.
The unofficial capital of
the island is Souré , which has
the most shops, restaurants,
and other facilities, but the
ferry port is Porto Camará ,
some 16 miles (27 km) south
of Souré. Located between
Porto Camará and Souré, the
best and most secluded beach
is at the small town of Joanes ,
some 3 miles (5 km) off the
main road. There are good
beaches at the other town on
the island, Salvaterra , where
there are also several hotels
and pousadas . The Praia
Grande beach in Salvaterra
is well served with beach
chairs, snack barracas ,
and refreshment stands.
During the peak rainy
season (February-May) many
of the roads are inaccessible
for long periods; this includes
the road to Joanes and
Salvaterra at times. Boats
for moving around the island
can be found easily at Souré,
Salvaterra, and Porto Camará.

Environs
About 19 miles (30 km) west
of Salinópolis is the relatively
sleepy fishing settlement and
beach resort of Algodoal . The
resort lies on the western
edge of Ilha de Maiandeua,
just a 40-minute boat ride

POTTERY ON ILHA DE MARAJÓ
In 1948, anthropologists Betty
Meggers and Clifford Evans
discovered a large, painted anthro-
pomorphic vessel on Ilha de Marajó.
The ancient inhabitants, the
Marajoaras, left behind not only
burial mounds, some almost 3,000
years old, but also some very fine
ceramics, leading archaeologists to
believe that between the 5th and
13th centuries, there were sophis-
ticated societies living along the
banks of the Amazon river.
Excavations reveal that the dead
were buried in line according to their social ranking, with
larger urns indicating higher status. Most of these ceramics,
representing abstract feminine figures, demonstrate the
matrilineal nature of this early Amazonian society. As well
as funerary ceramics, there were also bowls, vases, spindle
whorls, and stools. The larger urns generally took three
main forms: humanoid, cyclindrical, and round; and
around 15 different finishing techniques are known to
have been utilized. Some excellent examples of the urns
can be found in the Museu Goeldi in Belém.

Marajó pottery displayed
in Museu Goeldi, Belém

For hotels and restaurants in this region see p382 and p407