FORTALEZA

Our final stage in the north east was Fortaleza. Lonely Planet speaks unpromisingly of it as a place to start from to visit the region’s beaches, however we found plenty of interest in the old centre. There is a 20th century cathedral which is rather grey and heavy and concrete-gothic-looking from outside (it was reputedly modelled on Cologne cathedral) but really works architecturally inside – Romanesque arches, light and airy with beautiful stained glass. We passed through a pleasant green park with a view over the sea, the social centre of the town 100 years ago, past an old and still functioning hospital to the “Tourist centre”. This is set in the early 19th century prison, an interesting structure in itself, which was closed down by the military dictatorship in the 60s - no doubt they needed something bigger and more modern! It contains a mass of shops selling local (or not so local) handicrafts, and a museum containing a selection of works of “popular art and culture”, some produced by or referring to ex-prisoners. There was a set of woodcuts on the life of a famous Robin Hood figure known as Lampiao, active in the 1920s and 30s until killed in an ambush in 1938. His was not the only band of Cangaçeiros (bandits) operating at the time. Next we went to the José de Alencar Theatre – he was a Brazilian writer and literary figure of the late 19th century – where we eavesdropped on a rehearsal for a concert. The theatre was built around 1910, lots of spidery cast-iron. We found a very interesting museum with an anti-establishment slant unusual in official museums. Among other things, it told the story of a self-sufficient proto-communist community set up in the 30s under a priest, José Lourenço. The local landowners and government, as well as the established church, took a dim view – no doubt they were sensitive because of the Cangaçeiros’ activities. In 1937 it was attacked, including by aerial bombardment, and destroyed. Over 400 people were killed. We then found a smart new culture centre (with free internet!) called Dragao do Mar (Sea Dragon) after a hero of the abolitionist movement – we had a good lunch in the restaurant and saw displays of modern art and folk culture but didn’t have time to see it all! Nuestra última parada en el nordeste fue en Fortaleza. Lonely Planet habla de la ciudad como punto de partida para las playas, pero encontramos varios lugares de interés en el centro. Hay un catedral del siglo 20, con aspecto exterior bastante pesado. Sin embargo el interior es realmente bello, con arcos livianos y vitrales hermosos. Pasamos por un parque, el centro social de la ciudad hace 100 años atrás, y un hospital antiguo que todavía funciona, para llegar al “Centro de Turismo”. Esto está dentro de una cárcel del siglo 19, en sí una estructura interesante, que contiene muchas tiendas de artesanías locales (o no), y un museo con una selección de obras de “arte y cultura popular”, algunas producidas por o referidas a ex-presos. Había un juego de grabados en madera sobre la vida de un famoso Cangaçeiro (bandido) llamado Lampiao, activo en los años 1920-30s, hasta que fue matado en una emboscada en 1938. No fue la única banda de Cangaçeiros que operaba en esa época. Después de eso fuimos al teatro José de Alencar – escritor brasilero de fines del siglo 19 – donde escuchamos un ensayo de concierto. El teatro fue construido alrededor de 1910, en fierro fundido. Encontramos un museo muy interesante, siendo un museo oficial del estado pero con una postura bien alternativa. Entre otros, cuenta de una comunidad proto-comunista y auto-suficiente que existía en los años 1930, bajo un cura, José Lourenço. A los fazendeiros y al gobierno les cayó mal – sin hablar de la iglesia – sin duda por las actividades de los Cangaçeiros entre otros motivos. En 1937 fue atacado, incluso por bombardeo aéreo, y destruido. Murieron más de 400 personas.