Guia Cultural da Costa Verde

Paraty • Paraty

ATELIER DA TERRA

A safe haven for caiçara handicrafts

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The small light caxeta-wood boats, the most original caiçara handicrafts, may be found in this colorful shop in the Paraty historical town center. It exhibits, sells and discloses the background and efforts by artisans from the Vila Caiçara do Saco do Mamanguá community, helping to keep alive this traditional art form and ensuring an extra source of income for these fishermen when the sea is less bountiful.

Mestre Gavião is the shop’s owner and for over 15 years has taken pride in showing visitors a collection of reports on the caiçara community and their art.

He also provides tips to anybody wishing to arrange a visit to the Mamanguá community to observe how these items are made, or to savor a typical lunch.

Some of the items remain in the original color of the wood, and some are painted by the group working in the studio-shop. The outcome is a diversity of colors and shapes, of different sizes and kinds of boats, such as canoes, fishing boats, schooners and sailboats, besides decorated oars and charming pictures.

These original items please not only visitors but also residents and businessmen, who use the little boats in many creative ways, such as for serving tables, window dressing, awards for regattas and other uses. It is impossible not to be attracted by this work and not to acquire at least one item as a souvenir.

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