Pirenopolis

Pirenopolis was founded in 1727 on gold and survives as a listed centre of stone-paved streets and whitewashed houses, with the Nossa Senhora do Rosario church of 1732 - Goias's oldest, rebuilt after a fire in 2002. Around it are dozens of waterfalls on the Serra dos Pireneus, most on private land with their own gates and fees. Its festival is the Festa do Divino Espirito Santo, and its centrepiece is the Cavalhadas: three days in which riders in masks and costume act out a battle between Christians and Moors, a tradition brought from Iberia and staged in a purpose-built arena, with the mascarados riding through the town in bull-headed masks. The town has become a Brasilia weekend destination, with the prices that follow.

History

The town was founded in 1727 as Minas de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Meia Ponte, named for a bridge over the Almas river half swept away by a flood, by Portuguese who came for the gold in the river, and from 1750 to 1800 its golden age saw four churches built as it rivalled Vila Boa as the richest town of the province. After 1800 the gold ran down, the province's first newspaper, the Matutina Meiapontense, appeared here in 1830, and in 1890 the town took the name Pirenópolis from the Pireneus hills nearby; the building of Brasília from 1960 brought heavy quarrying of its stone, and tourists from the capital revived it from the 1980s (Wikipedia, Pirenópolis).

What to look for

• Goias's oldest church - Nossa Senhora do Rosario, from 1732.
• The Cavalhadas - masked riders staging a Christian and Moorish battle.
• Waterfalls on the serra - dozens, most on private land with separate gates.
• A listed gold-era centre - stone streets and whitewashed houses.

When to go

May to September; the Cavalhadas fall around Pentecost. Three days.

What to expect

Each waterfall charges its own entry and they add up quickly; a car is essential. Weekends bring Brasilia crowds and raised prices. During the Cavalhadas the town is completely full. Falls run thin at the end of the dry season.

Nearby

Brasilia is south-east; Goias Velho is west.

Key facts