Belem, Brazil, is a busy port city situated on the Para River, which joins the Amazon and flows into the Atlantic. Founded in 1616, Belem, also known as the "gateway to the Amazon," was the first European colony on the Amazon, and its port greatly aided the rubber boom. The newer part of the city boasts skyscrapers, modern buildings and museums. The older part reflects colonialism with traditional blue Portuguese tiles and tree-filled squares. The cablocas (natives) are poor, and their lives center on the river. The largest religious festival in Brazil, Cirio de Nazare, takes place in Belem. A mixture of influences abound in the market, where medicinal herbs, potions and items for macumba ceremonies are sold along with traditional Marajoara ceramics. Parts of crocodiles and alligators are still brought to market in dugout canoes.
Santarem, Brazil, lies where the Tapajos and Amazon rivers come together. Originally called Tapajo, the city was renamed Santarem in 1848. Santarem has two museums and is home to a Franciscan monastery. The beach at Santarem, the Alter do Chao, is said to be the best on the Amazon. The first structure built there in 1661, a cathedral rebuilt in 1761, still stands. An intriguing sight in Santarem is the "Wedding of the Waters," where the clear, dark and clean water of the Tapajos and the muddy water of the Amazon merge but flow separately for many miles, a phenomenon not seen anywhere else in the world.
Nearly half of the population of Brazil lives in the largest city, Manaus. Manaus is named for the Brazilian Indians. Although the city is 1,250 miles from the Atlantic, large merchant ships easily traverse the deep river, making Manaus the distribution center for all of northern Brazil. Manaus has a famous Opera House, the Teatros Amazonas, a zoo, and an Indian museum. The first university in Brazil, Autonomous University of Manaus, was built in 1909.
Iquitos, Peru, backs up to the sprawling Amazon forest. Iquitos is the world's largest city without roads leading to it. Founded by Jesuits in the 1750s, Iquitos thrived with the lumber, rum, beer and oil industries. Gustave Eiffel designed and shipped from Europe the parts for the Casa de Fierro. The historic theater, Teatro Amazonas, built in 1896, is filled with crystal chandeliers and Italian frescoes. Iquitos' Pasaje Paquito alleyway offers natural cures for ailments. Iquitos has two seasons: low water and high water, determined by rainfall and snow melt on the Andes Mountains' eastern slopes, causing the water level to fluctuate as much as 40 feet.
