Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade

Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade is a Brazilian municipality in Mato Grosso with 16,271 (2020) inhabitants. It is located at upper Guaporé River close to the border with Bolivia. It served as the capital of the Captaincy of Mato Grosso from 1752 to 1820.[2]

Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade
Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in Mato Grosso state
Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade
Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 15°0′28″S 59°57′3″W
CountryBrazil
RegionCentral-West
StateMato Grosso
Population
 (2020 [1])
 • Total16,271
Time zoneUTC-04:00 (BRT-1)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-03:00 (BRST-1)
ruins of the Igreja Matriz in Vila Bela

Today, because most inhabitants descend from former African slaves, the town creates the impression of a town in the African jungle rather than in one in the Amazon jungle. The distinct African feeling is also reflected in a yearly festival called Festa do Congo. One of its main events is the Dança do Congo, which is performed at the ruins of the former igreja matriz — a particular type of colonial Portuguese church. Aside from those church ruins, which are the main tourist site of the town, there is a small history museum.[3][4]

The town serves as a hub for trips to the Amazon jungle along the upper Guaporé River and the nearby nature reserve Parque Estadual da Serra de Ricardo Franco. One of the main attractions of the latter is the Cascata dos Namorados (English: Valentine Cascades).[3][4]

The municipality contains the 158,621-hectare (391,960-acre) Serra Ricardo Franco State Park, created in 1997.[5]

Notes
  1. IBGE 2020
  2. David Price: Pareci, Cabixi, Nambiquara. A case study in the western classification of native peoples. In: Journal de la Société des Américanistes. Tome 69, 1983, p. 129-148, doi : 10.3406/jsa.1983.2228 (Online-Kopie)
  3. Aline Romio: Dança do Congo é atração no último dia de festa em Vila Bela - official note from 2010-7-20 on a website of the state of Mato Grosso (portuguese, retrieved 2010-10-15)
  4. Mato Grosso: The Lost World at the website of The Independent on Sept. 9 2001 (retrieved 2010-10-13)
  5. PES Serra Ricardo Franco (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental, retrieved 2016-12-03
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