Vale do Café is full of water.

Countless streams and rivers make up the landscape creating waterfalls and lakes. There are rivers within forests, rivers by the edge of fields, streams. In Barão de Juparanã, you will find a wonderful natural entity: the Paraíba do Sul River. The largest river in southeastern Brazil, which feeds water from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In Barão de Juparanã, there are several river beaches, backwaters, crossing points…

The thick sand of “goginhos” as they call the rolled stones the color of honey, the size of large olives, cover the bottom of the river and the beaches of “Parahyba”.

Some islands fill the great diameter of the bed, creating sinuosities. The vegetation is low, and the river is mostly accompanied by roads and fields in long stretches.

In this scenario, fishermen and washerwomen traced stories and songs that remain today, as in these 3 jongos sung by the jongueiros of the Vale do Café:

* Hey washerwoman, oh washerwoman, what did you do with my shirt? It was running, it was running, it ended up in Paraíba. Machado!

* Little Santo Antônio, crossed Paraíba on his knee, crossed Paraíba on his knee.  Machado!

* My root is black, it came from distant Angola 2x On the banks of Paraíba in Pinheiral, my caxambu responds 2xMy grandfather taught me to play too, My grandfather taught me to respect the vats, He was the one who told me not to bathe in the river, if the river water is deep 2XMe advised take a bath on the edge, on the Paraíba RiverOi take a bath on the edge, on the Pinheiral RiverOi take a bath on the edge, hi take a bath on the edge. Machado!

(collected directly from Fatinha do Jongo de Pinheiral May 2020)

It is worth getting to know this giant up close!