Earth houses
Original features.
José Antonio Zagato — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Junior Petar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Elizeu Marcos Franco — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cfortsilva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cfortsilva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cfortsilva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cfortsilva — CC BY-SA 4.0
Iporanga is a small town in the Ribeira Valley in southern São Paulo state and the main gateway to the PETAR caves. It was founded in the mid-eighteenth century by a group of gold miners at a working on the Iporanga stream, and its Tupi name means «water of the beautiful river». In the late eighteenth century the people moved to where the Iporanga meets the Ribeira de Iguape River and turned to subsistence farming. Its isolation preserved buildings of rammed earth and wattle and daub of historic and architectural interest, which the state heritage council studied in its «Historic Towns» series. Most of the small single-storey houses keep their original features, from roof tiles to door frames, doors and windows, around the main church, built of rammed earth and dating from 1821. A short walk through the old streets fits well before heading up to the caves or after coming back.
Original features.
From 1821.
Iporanga and Ribeira.
Central Iporanga, where the Iporanga meets the Ribeira de Iguape River, São Paulo state
A Tupi name meaning «water of the beautiful river».