Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
where they were made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book
The Lost World
. Most
of Roraima state, however, is relatively flat grassland.
Brief history
When discovered in the mid-eighteenth century, Roraima's grasslands were considered
ideal cattle country. The current national borders weren't settled until the early part of
the twentieth century. During the early 1990s, a massive gold rush generated an influx
of 50,000
garimpeiros
, mainly in the northwest, against the Venezuelan border in the
territory of the
Yanomami
, Amazonian tribal peoples living on both sides of the border.
In 1989 the plight of the Yanomami, whose lands were being invaded by prospectors,
brought about an international outcry that forced the Brazilian government to
announce that they would evacuate all settlers from Yanomami lands. But the project
was abandoned almost as soon as it began; protection of the region's valuable
mineral
reserves
was deemed to necessitate the strengthening of the country's borders and the
settlement of the area. Following the successful demarcation of Yanomami lands in
1992, and the territory's o
cial recognition by the Federal State, things have improved,
and there are now fewer
garimpeiros
prospecting in Yanomami forests.
Boa Vista
BOA VISTA
is a fast-growing city of 277,000 people, an unrelentingly hot, modern and
concrete monument to its Brazilian planners who laid it out on a grand but charmless
scale; tra
c islands divide broad, tree-lined boulevards and a vast Praça do Centro
Cívico, swirling with tra
c, from which streets radiate unevenly. Clearly this is meant
to be a fitting capital for the development of Roraima - and there are large stores full
of ranching and mining equipment that reflect that growth. Busy as it is, though, Boa
Vista has far to go to fulfil its ambitious designs.
The huge streets often seem half empty, reflecting the waning of the gold boom
after the initial rush in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the old hotels
and gold-trading posts have closed down, or have turned into travel agencies,
small-time banks and restaurants. The new layout obliterated many of the town's
older buildings, which means there's little of interest to see in the city itself. Most
visitors to Boa Vista are on business or travellers passing through on the overland
route from Venezuela to Manaus.
Praça do Centro Cívico
The Praça do Centro Cívico lies at the heart of the city and is home to the
Monumento
ao Garimpeiro
, or Monument to the Miners, which portrays a miner sifting gold,
thereby paying tribute to the former backbone of the economy. On the south side of
the square is the
Catedral Cristo Redentor
, built in the 1960s with an interesting
curvaceous and airy design. Its stain-glassed windows are shaped like fish, while the
ceiling is reminiscent of the hull of a huge wooden boat, giving visitors the impression
of being underwater. Also note the long windows that from a distance take on the
shape of a harp.
The waterfront
Down in the old waterfront district, connected to the
praça
by the main shopping
street, Avenida Jaime Brasil, you'll find a cluster of sights, including the imposing
concrete
Monumento Aos Pioneiros,
or Monument to the Pioneers, which symbolizes
the arrival of the first families to the city and the alleged integration of the indigenous
population with the Portuguese colonialists. Note the shape of the monument, which
is reminiscent of nearby Mount Roraima.
Nearby is the pretty, bright yellow
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo
, with its original
1920s Germanic-style features. A short walk away is the beautifully preserved Neoclassical
