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The Paranambuco hill is one of the most
beautiful landmarks of the city but also the one that
has suffered the most with devastation. The original
portion of the Atlantic Forest that used to cover the
hill in the time of the Indians, had been cut off a long
time ago. Back in the 60's, the hill was already
devastated but it still showed its original topography
and a small portion of the forest remained on one of its
sides, the opposite to that one facing the sea.
In the 70's, the hill
served as a center for radical sports such as motocross
and also sheltered a set of wooden homes at its foot,
for some blue collar workers hired by an enterprise in
the area. When the area was cleared once again and the
houses tore down, the place got back to its original
solitude, the home of white owls and mochos (as locals
call smaller owls) that nestle in holes along its
walls. When the new water reservoirs were built in the
beginning of the 80's, the place suffered its second
wave of devastation that unearthed 2 big rocks that
later would be called the Sphinx Rock and the Mystic
Portal. All other damages were caused by a third wave in
the 90's, caused by the construction of a condo that was
considered illegal and finally seized due to
environmental problems. The constructions were banned
but they took away the original topography of the hill. Nevertheless, the
hill is still a beautiful spot, a sanctuary for many
species of birds and lizards. Most of the Southern
Shores can be seen from there, including the islands,
other hills and mountain ranges.
In the ancient times,
the hill must have belonged to a wide area of marshes
where many water sources bloomed; an extension
of the area around the marsh along one of the streams nearby, that
passes through a section nowadays called Belas Artes.
That conclusion became much clearer when the houses of
the Cibratel 1 Condo were built there, right behind the
hill. When the excavations took place, most engineers
noticed the water coming from the ground and the
yellowish sand, typical of wetlands and ancient lakes.
Another sign from this marsh are the trees still found
behind the hill (on the opposite side of the sea) and on
the left side of the Indians' Well Beach. These trees
have yellow flowers that look like hibiscus and they are
without a doubt, the typical vegetation of wetlands,
making us wonder
how this place looked like in the time of the Indians
back in the 16th century.
The side of the hill
facing the sea is known locally as Big Coast (Costão in
Brazilian Portuguese).
There's an endemic vegetation of cactus, thorn plants
and bomelia plants. In the time of the
Indians, the trees that should have grown there must
have been short and bent on the opposite direction of
the sea due to the winds from the South. When the bromelia plants bloom, the greenish hill
is adorned with pink and reddish flowers that make us
remember pineapples. The big rocks on the Costão or Big
Coast, are constantly hit by the sea; a panorama of
unforgettable grandeur. It is possible to cross this Big
Coast making arrangements with local guides (for
security measures). The Frog Rock (Pedra do Sapo) is very popular among
the fisherman as an amazing fishing spot. On the
opposite side of the sea, a plain remains. At at the end
of the 70's, there was still a little pool at the foot
of the hill, formed by the water that dropped from the
remains of the forest of the top. No one knows
what's going to happen to the hill in the future but we
hope the authorities will create a preservation area,
recovering what has been damaged for the future
generations.
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