Golden Lesson

Like the Spanish explorers to the north in Central America,
the Portuguese came to the New World in the pursuit of conquests
and converts, filling the treasuries of the crown with gold and heaven with souls.

Michael Collins

The aging actress sits diagonally from me under the swimming pool cabana that doubles as a bar. Dim light illuminates her still lovely face as she leans forward to straighten the stack of magazines that I had just sifted through.

"Is there something in particular you are looking for?" she pleasantly inquires turning up a smile. The early 60's something proprietress' curiosity is seemingly aroused yet politely distant by her tone and approach to the question.

"I am looking for magazines about the architectural history of the area and was hoping I would find some on the coffee table," I explain. "I am a student back in the United States and it would be helpful in the research I propose to do."

"Take as many of you like," she replied. "We have bastante." my Brazilian hostess offered.

As the owner of the small hotel or pousada, I am sure that by now she has encountered all sorts of characters, requests and unusual personas. The evidence for this is confirmed when I later wander around the centuries old edifice by the appearance of the wall hangings. In a stark contrast to the aging stucco walls, art deco posters adorn the confines with theatrical performances she has appeared in, photos of former Brazilian dignitaries presenting flowers after a series of encore curtain calls and even a montage of her posed in an Australian bush hat delivering aid packages to an African village.

As she aged, the calls for performances dwindled and finally stopped coming altogether. Ever the entertainer, she purchased the 20 room historic inn at Parati as a means to sustain herself and as a forum to continue to meet with the public. A brisk tourism trade coupled with idyllic beauty of the tranquil seacoast village nestled among the coastal mountains in the southern state of Rio de Janeiro has been her deliverance.

Unable to find any useful information among the magazine stack, I ask, "What can you tell me about the history of the village?" in hopes she is willing to start conversation.

The actress' face visibly changes, eyes focused on me, her back erect and arm gestures purposeful. Animated and smiling, she is genuinely pleased to have an audience, even if it is only an audience of one. The glorious history of Brazil's past now comes alive in colorful description, seemingly unrehearsed yet undoubtedly told hundreds possibly thousands of times. A past that parallels her own.

Like the Spanish explorers to the north in Central America, the Portuguese came to the New World in the pursuit of conquests and converts, filling the treasuries of the crown with gold and heaven with souls. Eventually their diligence paid off with the discovery of vein rich mines in the interior in what is now the present day state of Minas Gerais (General Mines in Portuguese). An abundance of minerals, gold, silver, diamonds and precious gems that heretofore had not been know to the explorers were only a scratch of the pick, a turn of the shovel beneath the surface.

With their newfound wealth, the crown ordered public works projects on a scale that would boggle the mind. Churches in particular became decades long works of art with no expense spared. Master carpenters, sculptors and artists were commissioned to use their crafts for the glorification of the Church, the Crown and most importantly to impress parishioners of the grandeur and majesty of these benevolent institutions.

The altar of the colonial baroque church was central to the opulence and religious themes the craftsmen poured their souls into. Intricate carvings of cherubim, the saints, the Madonna and Christ were painstakingly constructed under the supervision of the religious hierarchy. Gold for chalices and crosses as well as leaf to cover the altar and statuary was amply supplied from the indigenous slaves cutting away at the inexhaustible sources from the surrounding countryside.

The encircling mountains that provided the mineral wealth for the colonial cities such as Diamantina (Diamantine) and Ouro Preto (Black Gold) forced isolation on them as well. Stockpiles of riches idled around counting houses while accountants and civil servants wrung their hands in worry about how they would deliver their goods to the Crown in Portugal.

Eventually a trail was found, the shortest distance considered safe for man and heavily laden pack animal to successfully cross over miles of frontier to the seacoast. There among the islets and reefs a natural harbor provided refuge for the merchant ships to load their precious cargoes for the long voyage home to Portugal. From this harbor sprung the fledgling village of Parati.

Like the other cities born of the gold trade, Parati grew and prospered with the same intensity of her sisters. Eventually, the trail of pack animals descending the mountain pass began to dwindle as the gold gave out. The village was eventually bypassed altogether when a better port with roads leading to the interior spread out from an upstart village on the north coast, a village that came to be known as Rio de Janeiro.

The beauty of the gold rush villages remains in much the same way as my actress friend. Like her, charm is exuded from every pore and surface that is visible to those that take the time to appreciate her. Her quiet dignity is preserved in contrast to hectic glories of the past. Enduring character and strength lives on in the face of indifference by the modern world.

My lesson is reinforced the following morning when preparing to leave, I frantically make my way with tickets in one hand and bags in the other to the front desk of the hotel. My only thought is to catch the bus, be on time, and move my career forward. My new friend by contrast is calmly directing the employees' activities, placidly greeting me and reassuring the frustrated desk clerk. And then I have a moment of clarity. The young desk clerk and I by our natures are mistakenly rushing through the world to acquire what she and the villages on the golden trail already own: a legacy of beauty, wealth and character that only improves with the passage of time.

Parati is located a few hours south of Rio de Janeiro and a similar distance northeast from São Paulo. Historic Cities tours are plentiful and inexpensive for the interior mountain state of Minas Gerais. A must see on your tour should include the town of Ouro Preto, a city designated and protected as international cultural treasure by the United Nations.

Michael Collins is a freelance writer and columnist whose work has been published in Porthole, Navy Times, Proceedings and other maritime related journals. Combining his insatiable urge to go exploring with altruistic instincts, Michael will begin work on his doctorate this fall researching best practices of non profit organizations, such as Elderhostel and Earthwatch, that target and use lifelong learning for those age 55 and over as a promotional tool to accomplish their organizations' goals. His email address is michaelzinho@juno.com

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