Cuiabá - Capital of the federal state of Mato Grosso

Foundation: 8th April 1719
Location: 176 m above sea level
Total population: 501,056 (as of 2003)
Area: 12,790 qkm
Population density: 113,88 inhabitants/qkm
Rainy season: from November to March

The capital of the federal state of Mato Grosso once started out as a tiny camp set up by the explorer Pascoal Moreira Cabral from São Paulo. He and other adventurers discovered gold by a creek - back in 1719. Cuiabá lies in the north of the Pantanal at a height of 165 m above sea-level and has 501,056 inhabitants. The town occupies an area of 12,790 qkm and is largely situated around the source of the "Corrego da Prainha" creek - the place where Miguel Sutil once struck the biggest gold vein of all time. Today the town stretches all the way down to Rio Cuiabá which, 3 km from the town centre, used to separate Cuiabá from its twin town Várzea Grande. Today various bridges connect the two, and the modern airport is located on the land of the twin town. 

Cuiabá is one of the hottest towns in Brazil, 26°C being the average temperature. One should come well-equipped regarding clothing, with a minimum nighttime temperature of 10° (July/August) and a maximum daytime temperature of 42°C (December/February). There is a high amount of rain in Cuiabá, particularly in the months from January to April - the annual average being approximately 1.750 mm of precipitation. On the other hand it gets extremely dry from May to October. The region is generally dominated by the cerrado vegetation, except for the shore of Rio Cuiabá, where there is a small contingent of the "reserva florestal" of the district - this is all that has withstood the deforestation and erosion in the town area to this day. Therefore, the self-applied name "cidade verde" (green town) seems fairly far-fetched to us, and the few green areas in the town are usually covered with dust during the dry season. This is when the town offers a grimy, clay-coloured sight.

In comparison to other towns, there is not an awful lot to see in Cuiabá that might make it worth staying there for a few days before starting out one's nature adventure - in the Pantanal or in Chapada dos Guimaraes. Cuiabá is more of a pass-through town for tourists and has a few architectural sights which we are going to list, as well as a couple of restaurants worth visiting; fish being the Pantanal speciality that you definitely ought to try.
 
If you arrive in Cuiabá by plane around mid-day, you can rest a bit at a nice hotel before proeeding to the Pantanal. You have the whole afternoon ahead of you, so we use these spare hours to show you the town centre: we start with the impressive governor's palace and the other historical buildings around the "Praca da República". There are a few green areas here and some benches for resting. At the intersection in front there is the town's cathedral, the "Catedral Metropolitana", with an attractive exterior, two belfries and on the inside windows and doors inlaid with colourful glass tessellation. Behind the altar there is a huge mosaic of Christ, made by the town's children, and some smaller mosaics in the aisles.

The "Praça Alencastro", another place shadowed by trees, lies next to this church. All over town you are going to discover open markets with stalls offering all kinds of everyday items you may need; for instance at the "Praca Ipiranga", where the "Avenida Isaac Póvoas" intersects with the "Avenida Tenente Coronel Duarte". In front, on a hill, there is the "Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho" church, built in gothic style and inspired by Notre Dame in Paris. The "Museu de Arte Sacra" is located right next to the church.

Visit the "Prainha" district: this is where Miguel Sutil found the gold on the shore of the creek of the same name; this was the birthplace of the town. Here you find, side by side, the "Nossa Senhora do Rosário" church and the Capela Sao Benedito" chapel. Both were built in 1722 in baroque style by the miners' slaves. Both buildings are under monumental protection. 

A few museums well worth visiting are the "Antropologia" (anthropology), "História Natural" (natural history) and "Cultura Popular" (popular culture), which are summarized in the "Fundacao Cultural de Mato Grosso" at the previously mentioned "Praca da Republica". Here you can find historical photographs, documents, furniture, religious art, a gallery of contemporary art, stuffed animals, rocks and woods from the region, Indian artifacts and weapons, archaeological findings and ceramics. The "Museu de Pedras Ramis Bucair" contains 4,000 archaeological exhibits - among them are a Tyrannosaurus Rex's femur from the Chapada dos Guimaraes, a meteorite and stone tools from the neolithic age (Rua Geraldo Pimentel, 195).

Further: Vegetations forms | Climate | Fauna | Tourism | Kitchen | History | Cuiaba | Chapada