Editing Paraty (section)

== History ==
The village of Paraty was founded in 1597.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ic.unicamp.br/cans2013/venue.php|title=CANS 2013 – Paraty, Brazil|work=unicamp.br|access-date=7 September 2015}}</ref>  It was established formally as a town by [[Portugal|Portuguese]] colonists in 1667, in a region populated by the Guaianás Indians.

The Guaianás people who lived where the city now stands called the entire area “Paraty”. In the Tupi language “Paraty” means “river of fish”. Even today the Brazilian Mullet (''[[Mugil]] brasiliensis'') still come back to spawn in the rivers that spill into the Bay of Paraty. When the region was colonized by the Portuguese, they adopted the Guaianás name for their new town.

=== The Gold Trail ===
After the discovery of the world's richest gold mines in 1696 in the mountains of [[Minas Gerais]], Paraty became an export port for gold to Rio de Janeiro and from there on to [[Portugal]]. The ensuing gold rush led to the construction of the "Caminho do Ouro" or "Gold Trail", a 1200 kilometer road, paved in steep areas with large stones, which connected Paraty to [[Diamantina, Minas Gerais|Diamantina]] via [[Ouro Preto]] and [[Tiradentes, Minas Gerais|Tiradentes]]. Not only was it used to transport gold to Paraty, but it was also used to convey supplies, miners and African slaves by mule train over the mountains to and from the gold mining areas. Two sections of the Caminho do Ouro have been excavated near Paraty and are now a tourist destination for hiking.{{fact|date=December 2018}}

The Gold Trail fell into disuse because of attacks on the gold laden ships bound for Rio de Janeiro by pirates who frequented the islands and coves of the Bay of Angra dos Reis. Eventually a safer overland route from Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro was created because of these pirate raids. Finally, the gold itself began to run out in the late 18th century, and Paraty declined.

The Gold Trail was submitted for inclusion on the [[World Heritage List]] in August 2004.

<gallery>
Image:gold trail 5_cropped.jpg|Stones on the Gold Trail
Image:gold trail 12_cropped.jpg|the Gold Trail
Image:gold trail 16_cropped.jpg|Hiking the Gold Trail
Image:gold trail 18-view from  Gold Trail_cropped.jpg|View from the Gold Trail
</gallery>
=== Cachaça ===
Before the gold mines came sugar cane, the products of which were the main exports of Brazil beginning around the 1500s. Under Portuguese occupation, most of the colony's regions were dedicated to the production of sugar, but Paraty remained focused on [[cachaça]]. This is most likely due to the more-humid climate, which resulted in a better mash.<ref name="UNESCO Nomination">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/document/170535 |title=World Heritage Mixed Site Nomination for UNESCO: Paraty Culture and Biodiversity; Response to the ICOMOS and IUCN joint letter from October 17, 2018 (document GB/AS/1308rev.Add.Inf_1) [Supplemental Materials] |publisher=[[UNESCO]] World Heritage Centre |date=November 2018 |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref> Cachaça, a spirit distilled from sugarcane juice, is the main ingredient in a [[caipirinha]], the national drink of Brazil.<ref>{{cite web |last=Henry |first=Zane |title=A beginner's guide to cachaça |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/beginners-guide-cachaca |website=nationalgeographic.com |date=June 15, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref> Cachaça is said to be older than rum, as it has been made since the 1500s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avuacachaca.com.br/cachaca-its-history |title=Cachaça and its History |website=avuacachaca.com |publisher=Avua Corp. |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref> Through the gold rush, cachaça remained an economic powerhouse in Paraty, widely demanded both in Brazil and in Europe. By 1820, over 150 cachaça stills were operating in the region. Over time, the production of cachaça became entwined with the identity of Paraty, and the "cachaça of Paraty" was awarded a Protected Indication of Provenance in 2007.<ref name="UNESCO Nomination" />
=== Economic revival ===
The city's economic activity revived as a port for a new boom, the coffee trade of the [[Paraiba do Sul River]] Valley in the early 19th century, until a railway along the valley created cheaper transport to the port of Rio de Janeiro. 
Since then, Paraty has been out of the mainstream, which is why it did not change for centuries, until a paved road was built from Rio de Janeiro to [[Santos (São Paulo)|Santos]], near São Paulo, in the 1970s. The city then began a new cycle of activity, which transformed a small, almost abandoned town living on very limited economic activity, mainly [[fishing]] and [[agriculture]] ([[banana]]s, [[manioc]], [[sugarcane]]) into a tourism destination. 

As of 2019, the historic town of Paraty has been listed as [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] for its mixed cultural-natural landscape, encompassing its coastal historic center and nine natural areas.