Stone houses
Local quartzite.
São Thomé das Letras is a small mountain town of about seven thousand people in southern Minas Gerais, built on a broad outcrop of quartzite. Its stone, known as «pedra São Tomé», has been used for houses, walls and street paving, so almost the whole town is made of stone, and it remains one of Brazil's main producers of this rock. Its name is tied to an old legend about a cave near the town, while «das Letras», «of the letters», refers to the ancient rock inscriptions still visible in that cave. The Cataguás people lived in the area before explorers arrived in the eighteenth century. Today the town is known for nature tourism and an alternative way of life that draws backpackers, with many waterfalls, remnants of Atlantic Forest and caves all around, and famous sunsets seen from its heights. It gets crowded on holidays, so book ahead.
Local quartzite.
From the heights.
All around town.
Southern Minas Gerais, about 35 km east of Três Corações
«Of the letters», after the ancient rock inscriptions in a nearby cave.