Journey on the Estrada Real: Encounters in the Mountains of Brazil

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Brazil’s Estrada Real is a road built in 1697 to bring gold and diamonds down from the mountains of Minas Gerais to the ports of Rio de Janeiro and Paraty. The road is still there, most of it still unpaved, winding through historic Baroque cities such as Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Serro, and, at the northern end, Diamantina.

As the 20th century rolled over into the 21st, life along the Estrada Real was in many ways still in the 19th. Hoping to capture a way of life that was quickly ending, Glenn Alan Cheney hiked much of the road. Along the way, with the special perspective of a foreign Tocqueville, he wrote about the culture, geography, history, foods, and people he observed.

Cheney’s style is simple, informal, friendly, and informative, and his observations are unique and insightful.