Pirenópolis

Pirenópolis, in Goiás state, is known as the city of the Rio das Almas (River of Souls) - a mystical city, which is today home to various esoteric communities. Founded in 1727 from a settlement in the Serra dos Pireneus, which expanded with the arrival of the bandeirantes, the city maintains a mixture of religious and pagan traditions, which are evident in its festivals, such as that of the Divino Espírito Santo (Divine Holy Spirit). This takes place 40 days after Easter, the whole city is decorated, and the festival lasts 12 days, three of which are dedicated to the Cavalhada, a representation of the wars between Christians and Moors. Also in Pirenópolis is the main peak of the Pireneus Mountains, 1,385 meters high, which is the object of a pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity.

The town was the cradle of the Goiás press: the first printing press of the state was established there, and between 1830 and 1834 published the Jornal Matutino Meia Pontense. The press was housed in the eighteenth century building which is now the Museu da Família Pompeu, where furniture and possessions of the traditional families of the city are kept. Other historic buildings are the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Meia Ponte, built in 1728 and the oldest church in the city, where there are altars sculpted in gold; the Museum of Sacred Art, formerly the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, whose collection includes parts of the altar of the Igreja dos Pretos (Church of the Blacks), demolished by the whites; and the Fazenda Babilônia, which has relics from the colonial period, such as mills and other machinery.