Araritaguaba

Araritaguaba grew beside a natural harbour on the Tietê, downstream of the falls at Salto. The river carried canoes deep into the Brazilian interior, and after the discovery of gold in Mato Grosso the harbour became the starting point for expeditions known as monções. Farms around the port supplied maize, flour and other provisions for a voyage that could take months.

In 1726 a great fleet under Rodrigo César de Menezes set out from Araritaguaba for Cuiabá with hundreds of canoes. The settlement gained a chapel and parish as the river trade grew, and in 1797 it became the town of Porto Feliz. Canoe builders, pilots and rowers were as essential to the long journey as the farmers who filled the boats.