Guia Cultural da Costa Verde

Paraty • Paraty

PARQUE TEMÁTICO MINI ESTRADA REAL

A trip to the Gold Cycle times

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The Park was inaugurated in 2010 and houses a miniature collection of replicas of buildings and monuments found in the numerous towns of importance during the Gold Cycle, marking the Estrada Real’s route between Paraty and Ouro Preto.

The creators of this enchanting project are craftsman Marcelo Castanheira, who gave life to the constructions and monuments, and his mother Maria Selma, who molded all the tiles and miniature characters that populate the scale models. Both are currently aided by two young assistants and a gardener, who does the upkeep of the venue’s exuberant landscape.

Next to the entrance a huge Estrada Real map is the starting point to join a guided tour that follows 30 miniatures in the midst of rivers, lakes, waterfalls and gardens, and rocks that resemble real mountains when compared to the 1:18 and 1:20 scale historical replicas, all of them replete with painstaking details, such as one of the churches, for example, that took almost six months to be concluded.

All the buildings were made in fiberglass and coated with latex paint, with details sculpted in epoxy resin. Soapstone was employed to depict stonework and carvings. Tiles were made of clay fired at over 900 degrees for 24 hours, practically the same process as for producing normal tiles. Several items such as the fountain have mechanisms to flow water over their stonework, providing greater reality to the miniatures.

The guided tour takes approximately 40 minutes, during which interesting stories and reports are heard on the customs of those times. Marcelo recalls that when the charming Brazilian royal family member, Dom Joãozinho de Orleans e Bragança, visited the Park and saw the replica of a fountain from the town of Caxambu, he remarked: “I am here owing to this fountain!”, referring to his predecessor the Princess Isabel, who on being treated with its waters and cured from anemia, was able to bear children.

The park impresses by virtue of its richness in details and pleases visitors of all ages.
Marcelo’s aim is to expand the Park, extending its route to the town of Diamantina. He has already reserved an area but requires support and sponsorship to produce the miniatures.

The facilities include a small shop and coffee shop for snacks and purchasing, among other souvenirs, books on the Estrada Real. In the midst of these replicas and freely enjoying the gardens, visitors will also encounter a real-life character: a heron of the royal species, no less.

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