The Chapada Diamantina (Diamond Highlands) area is located in the center of Bahia state, in Brazil. It’s a large 38.000 square kilometers ( 15,000 sq. miles), over an extensive plateau that averages from 400 to 2000m high from the sea level, bigger than many countries like Holland, Belgium or Israel.
The main towns around the Chapada Diamantina area are Lençóis, AndaraĂ, MucugĂŞ, Ibicoara and the villages of Igatu and CapĂŁo. The first three and Igatu are National Historical Monuments, due to their key roles in the History of the area and the interesting and interesting architectural styles preserved in their original buildings.
The economy of the whole area was depressed by the stagnation of the diamond boom before the beginning of the 20th century, and the populations that didn’t migrated, adapted agriculture and cattle ranching as their main source of income. Some areas like Lençóis, with a poor soil, continued to rely on mining as the only source of income, until 1985, when the diamond exploration was prohibited.
Nowadays, thousands of tourists visit Chapada Diamantina every year, enjoying the amazing waterfalls, deep canyons and beautiful landscapes, trails, blue crystal water pools and complex of limestone caves, even a Pantanal are part of these attractions.
Information Sources:
- “A visitor’s guide to the Chapada Diamantina Mountains” – Roy Funch
