A tour with the traveling naturalists through Minas Gerais
In the travels of Martius and Spix, more than eight months of 1818 were dedicated to getting to know the Province of Minas Gerais, a region of vast natural beauty.
CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Luiza F. A. de Paula
Ores and precious stones: the famous Minas Gerais
In the 19th century, the Province of Minas Gerais was already drawing attention from Europe for its large quantity of ores and precious stones. This probably piqued the curiosity of the German naturalists Spix and Martius, who spent eight months traveling in the province of the time.
Arriving in Minas Gerais
Departing from the state of São Paulo, the naturalists Spix and Martius arrived in Minas Gerais with their entourage from the south and followed a good part of the expedition along the well-known Estrada Real (Royal Road).
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 46 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
First impressions
Beginning the route in Minas, the travelers described: “Tremendous abysses or giant peaks, arranged in threatening escarpments, are not seen here; on the contrary, the view here is made tranquil by the pleasant appearance of not particularly deep valleys (...)”
First impressions
“(…) however, it is not the appearance of lesser nature that the traveler finds here: on the contrary, the characteristic of these landscapes is of grandeur, alongside simplicity and softness; they are among the most charming that we have admired in the tropics.”
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 4 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Botanical immersion
The naturalists traveled through many corners of Minas Gerais and their observations about the plants and their environments immerse us in their travels: “The varied views of the valleys (...) appear more frequently and alternate the closer one gets to Vila Rica...”
Botanical immersion
"...We were, however, amazed, when we climbed the steep Morro de Gravier, a continuation of the Serra de Ouro Branco, to spot the tree lilies, whose strong and naked stems, forked into a few branches, often ended with a tuft of long leaves...”
Botanical immersion
“...(…) are one of the most wonderful forms in the plant world. Both genera they form, Barbacenia and Vellosia, are known in the country as canela-de-ema and (…) are considered by the people as a characteristic sign of a land rich in gold and diamonds.”
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 48 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
The Serras de Ouro Preto
In the same region, they also describe the Itacolomi hill: “it is the highest peak of the Serra de Ouro Preto (...). The path leads through cheerful slopes of grass, sometimes through low forest on the top...”
The Serras de Ouro Preto
"..."Little by little, the plateau of the hill widens and we find ourselves on an extensive plain, gently sloping and at the bottom of which the last peak of rock rises."
Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 3 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Encountering the Cerrado Mineiro
Passing through the Northeast of Minas Gerais, they described: “The vegetation, on this uniform plateau, which extends from Tijuco to Minas Novas, progressively decreasing in height, presents a feature that we had never observed to such an extent...”
Encountering the Cerrado Mineiro
"...“...Low trees, with twisted branches and broad foliage, rise here and there among dense thickets of the most diverse shrubs, which alternate, sometimes with slabs of bare rocks, sometimes with sparse meadows, or in lowlands and streams, with somewhat taller and lusher copses...”
Encountering the Cerrado Mineiro
"...“...It is also called here the low forest of cerrado; when low and without trees, it is carrasco. Not all plants belonging to it lose their leaves in the dry season; their appearance, however, then contributes to the general feature of wilted and dry pastures.”
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 43 (1906)CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
The travelers’ adventures
In Minas Gerais, the travelers had many adventures. During their journeys they were attacked by a jaguar, but it all worked out well: “(…) the travel companions were sleeping in their hammocks when the sentinel frightened us with a rifle shot...”
The travelers’ adventures
"...“At the same instant, all the mules burst out of the shelter together, whinnying in distress and chased by a spotted jaguar which, however, slowly retreated in the face of the fire.”
Memories of the jaguar
In the lithograph, the jaguar is near the Rio das Velhas in Ouro Preto, and must have been illustrated to represent a memory of the naturalists from their expedition in Minas Gerais.
Flora Brasiliensis: Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. unplaced Plate 60CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Leaving Minas Gerais
After passing through the region of Vila Rica and proceeding to the Diamond District, the travelers passed through Sabará and arrived at Minas Novas in the Jequitinhonha Valley. They went to the border of Goiás, returned to Minas, then went to Bahia and from there up to the Amazon.
Research and writing: Luiza F. A. de Paula (UFMG/CRIA)
Assembly: Luiza F. A. de Paula
Review: João Renato Stehmann (UFMG), Renato De Giovanni (CRIA)
References: Flora Brasiliensis (http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/opus), Travels in Brazil (https://www2.senado.leg.br/bdsf/handle/id/573991)
Additional information: http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/stories
Acknowledgments: All the authors of the photos and characters in the story
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audio, and video and correctly recount the episodes narrated in the exhibitions. If you find errors and/or omissions, please email contato@cria.org.br
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