The white tower
Nineteenth century.
Paulo Roberto de Oliveira Moraes — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paulo Roberto de Oliveira Moraes — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Miriam C de Souza — CC BY 2.0 · Paulo Roberto de Oliveira Moraes — CC BY-SA 3.0
Cristóvão Pereira Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in the region, standing on the shore of the vast Lagoa dos Patos about twenty-five kilometres west of Mostardas to guide vessels crossing the lagoon between Porto Alegre and the port of Rio Grande. Work began in 1858 on a sturdy foundation of hardwood piles, beams and stone, as the ground here is waterlogged; the tower was completed in 1886, entered service the following year and is still working today. The square masonry tower, whitewashed and thirty metres tall, sends out a white flash every ten seconds, visible from thirteen nautical miles. In 1992 the Navy demolished the houses of the keeper and his family and bricked up the tower's doors and windows, so it is now seen from outside only. It is usually visited on a tour of the Lagoa do Peixe coast and the surrounding lagoons.
Nineteenth century.
A lagoon like a sea.
A flash every ten seconds.
Shore of the Lagoa dos Patos, about 25 km west of Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul
No, its doors and windows were bricked up in 1992.