Brasília, January 8, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The city of Parati, in Rio de Janeiro, wants recognition by the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (Unesco) to become part of the historical patrimony of humanity. The first step was taken on Wednesday (7), when the mayor of the city, José Cláudio de Araújo, handed the Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, a dossier covering the city's material and non-material monuments.

Minister Gil signed the document in support of the city's candidacy, and the dossier now proceeds to the Itamaraty (Ministry of Foreign Relations), which will forward it to Unesco. "We hope to receive a reply from the Organization within three months," the mayor said. If Unesco approves the candidacy, a team of specialists will be sent to visit Parati to give a final response.

The city unites various cultural and environmental patrimonies. In addition to natural attractions, such as the Atlantic Rain Forest, various non-material goods are also part of the city's history. Among them, the cultures of beach fishermen, Negroes, Indians, runaway slaves, and the Portuguese. Typical dishes, fishing techniques, banana paste tablets, tapioca flour, peanut brittle, molasses, coffee with sugarcane syrup, and various other customs and traditions are also included in the dossier.

The research to prepare the dossier took over a year. "In meetings with the population, the oldest person in the neighborhood recounted stories for us to see what has still been preserved up to the present day. One example is the local preparation of coffee, which is made with sugarcane syrup," Araújo recalls.

If it is recognized as part of the historic patrimony, Parati will assume a commitment to preserve its beauty and history. As one of the preservation activities preceding the title, the city declared the "Estrada Real" (Royal Highway) an historical landmark. The "Estrada Real," which is also called the "Caminho do Ouro" (Gold Route) has begun to receive an archeological clean-up. The road was very important to Brazil's economy in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Parati came to be the second most important port in Brazil for shipments of gold from Minas Gerais. (DAS)