SOROCABA
Sorocaba is the city in São Paulo State which I have the strongest connection with.
This is probably down to the fact that my wife is from here, and all my in-
The region around Sorocaba was first explored by the Governor-
The origins of the current name for the city date to the time of the “Bandeirantes”.
The Bandeirantes were frontiersmen and explorers. Thanks mainly to them the boundaries
of the country became more or less what they are today. Balthazar Fernandes was
amongst them. Fernandes was actually a Spaniard, but he laid the foundations of
the city as we know it today. It was at his request that the “Capela De Nossa Senhora
De Ponte” (The Chapel of Our Lady of the Bridge) was constructed It still stands
today on Praca Fernando Prestes in the City Centre. This chapel was built, along
with the slightly later “Mosteiro De Sao Bento De Parnaiba” (The Monastery of St
Benedict) using Indian, and later slave labour. Fernandes was responsible for bringing
the first Benedictine monks to the area to teach, assist the poor and the ill, and
give relglious instruction to the Native Americans in the area. Fernandes requested
from the then Governor-
The arrival of Colonel Cristóvão Pereira de Abreu, an officer in the Portuguese Colonial Militia, marked the beginning of another important phase in the development of the city, the “Tropeirismo”. The “Tropeiros” were more or less an update version of the earlier “Bandeirantes”. They were most important in opening up the mule trails which transported goods from the North of the territory to its southern tip. One of the biggest Tropeiro bases was Sorocaba. The city became famous for its “Feira de Muares” (Horse Fairs). Horses weren’t the only things that were sold there however. It was also an important market for all manner of goods, including slaves. Goods from Sorocaba were soon being sold all over the Colony of Brasil, spread with the help of the Tropeiros.
Cotton marked the next stage in the development of the city. During the American Civil War textile companies in the United Kingdom and elsewhere ran out of their supplies of cotton. Brasil, by this time free from Portuguese control, capitalised on this and soon cotton was being grown all over the country, but especially so in São Paulo. The first cotton plantation in Sorocaba was established in 1862 by Francisco Gonçalves de Oliveira Machado. After this time the textile industry really began to take off in the city & Sorocaba gained the nickname “Manchester Paulista”. The “Companhia De Ferro De Sorocabana” (Sorocaba Railroad) opened in 1872 and transported animals, cotton and other goods from the city to São Paulo, and further afield to the port city of Santos. The railway station in Sorocaba was voted the best in South America in 1932. It was allowed to fall into disrepair, and it was a frequent target for vandals. After a recent restoration programme by the city Fathers however it is now looking back to its best.
GETTING THERE
There are no direct flights to Sorocaba from outside of Brasil. When we travel there
we usually fly with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) from Edinburgh, via Amsterdam. The
first time I took that trip the plane stopped off in Rio De Janeiro before arriving
at Guarulhos International Airport near São Paulo. When I travel there with my wife
we are always met by my wife's family, but you are probably better taking a coach
from here to Barra Funda bus station. Buses run regularly between here and Sorocaba.
The main coach operator is Cometa. You will need your passport when you buy tickets,
and will need it when you get on the bus as you have to show it to the guard before
they’ll let you get aboard. Sorocaba is some 80km’s from São Paulo. The coaches
from other cities arrive at the Rodoviaria, which is called Rodocenter. Transport
within the city is a bit chaotic. There are two bus station in the city -
THINGS TO DO IN SOROCABA
Sorocaba has the 2nd largest zoo in Brazil. The name of the zoo is called "Quinzinho de Barros" and is in the district Vila Hortência. A number of local buses run to the zoo, but the one we always take is the bus Number 10 to Senac. You can catch this bus in São Paulo bus station in the city. The railway station is also worth a look. As mentioned previously this won the award of the prettiest railway station in South America in 1932. It has recently been given a makeover & is now showing its former glory to the best. A bit further afield is Fazenda Ipanema. This was the site of the first iron foundry in Brasil, and was founded on an estate which belonged to the Emperor Dom Pedro I in 1813. As well as local labour workers came from as far afield as Scotland. They brought Presbyterianism with them. Sorocaba was a deeply Catholic city & the city fathers wouldn’t let non catholics be buried in the city proper. Many non catholics were buried here as it was judged to be far enough away from the cities boundaries, lying some 25 km’s distant from Sorocaba. Today you can visit the ruins of the Iron Foundry & see the Senzala were the slaves were kept etc. Also in Sorocaba is the fascinating “Capela Senhor do Bomfim”. This fascinating chapel was built by Joao De Camargo, a freed slave who claimed to have visions from god. The interior is full of dolls & images from Christianity and African/Indian figures. De Camargo was frowned upon at the time by the ultra conservative Catholic authorities in Sorocaba, but now there are calls to make him a saint!
Further away, but still in the municipality of Sorocaba is the fascinating city of Itu with its oversized traffic lights and phone booths, a jokey reminder of one residents boast that everything was bigger in Itu. In nearby Salto you must visit the bizarre statue of “Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrat” . This stands high above the River Tiete. You can climb up to the top on a clam day for commanding views over the surrounding countryside.
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