Brazil at the Dawn of the Eighteenth Century

Chapter XIII: The Route from the City of Bahia to the Mines of the Rio das Velhas

181 chapter xiii y The Route from the City of Bahia to the Mines of the Rio das Velhas L eaving from the city of Bahia the first stop is at Cachoeira, and from there the road continues to the village of Santo Antonio de João Amaro and from there to Tranqueira. At that point, the road divides and taking the road on the right, it heads to the pastures of Filgueira , located right at the source of the Rãs River. From there, the road passes by the pastures of Coronel Antonio Vieira Lima, and from these pastures it goes to the camp of Matias Cardoso. However, if you want to follow the road to the left, arriving in Tranqueira , you follow the new and shorter road created by João Gonçalves do Prado. This route goes straight ahead until it reaches the source of the Verde River, and from this source it goes to the camp of Garça, and from there moving upriver you arrive at the camp of Borba and quickly find the general mines of the Rio das Velhas. Those who follow the road on the right at Tranqueira, after they arrive at the camp of Matias Cardoso, follow along the São Francisco River, moving upstream until they find the confluence of the Rio das Velhas. They will quickly find the mines along it. Since when making this journey from Bahia, some walk until midday , others until three in the afternoon, and others from sunrise to sunset, I have listed the correct distances in legoas for these two routes from Bahia to the mines along the Rio das Velhas. They are as follows: From the city of Bahia to Cachoeira, twelve legoas. From Cachoeira to the village of João Amaro, twenty-five legoas. From the village of João Amaro to Tranqueira, forty-three legoas. From Tranqueira, taking the right fork, until the camp of Matias Cardoso, fifty-two legoas. 182 Gold Mining From the camp of Matias Cardoso to the confluence of the Rio das Velhas, 54 legoas. From where the Rio das Velhas flows into the São Francisco River to the Camp of Borba, where the mines are located, 51 legoas. This totals 237 legoas. Taking the left fork in Tranqueira, which was a journey from Bahia of 80 legoas, from Tranqueira to the source of the Guararutiba River is 33 legoas. From that source to the last camp on the Rio das Velhas, 46 legoas. From that camp to Borba, 27 legoas. This totals 186 legoas. This route from Bahia to the mines is much better than that from Rio de Janeiro and from the town of São Paulo because it is wider and easier to travel. It has been opened up by the livestock herds traveling on it; it has better grazing, and better accommodates the pack animals and cargoes. Map of the route from Bahia to Minas. Planche VII from André João Antonil, Cultura e Opulência do Brasil por suas drogas e minas, translated and edited by Andrée Mansuy-Diniz Silva, Paris, Institute des Hautes Études de l’Amérique Latine, 1965. ...