Campo Grande, southern gateway to the Pantanal in Brazil, is a friendly city with tourist sights such as churches, markets as well as indigenous art shops and museums.
Campo Grande, situated in the west of Brazil, is a good place to organise tours to the wetlands of the Pantanal. But the pleasant city also warants a day or two for its own cultural sights, like the modern yet small cathedral for its stained glass windows and the art museums and shops that provide an insight into the lives of Brazil's indigenous population.
History of Campo Grande in Mato Grosso do Sul, Southwest Brazil
In 1875 José Antônio Pereira founded the village of Santo António de Campo Grande. He constructed his ranch where the Porsa and Segredo streams met, which nowadays houses the Botanical Gardens [Horta Florestal]. In 1914 Campo Grande grew quickly in importance, after a railway connected the town with eastern, economically rich, Brazil.
Since 1977 Campo Grande has been the capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and numbers about 700,000 inhabitants. The city has the characteristics of a metropolis while maintaining the friendly ambience of a town. Wide, tree-lined boulevards and buildings are well-maintained and the city is surprisingly clean as well as green thanks to the presence of several parks.
Culture in Campo Grande
Campo Grande is considered the southern gateway to the wetlands of the Pantanal. Most visitors only stop here to join a Pantanal tour to the wetlands or to rent a car to visit the Pantanal. But Campo Grande is a friendly city. It offers several sights and merits a visit for a day or two.
Churches in Campo Grande
Hardly known on the tourist circuit, undeservedly so and worth a visit, are several lovely churches:
- Igreja São Benedito. This tiny, picturesque, blue church northeast of the city centre has no date of origin. For many years it has been maintained – and saved from destruction – thanks to the donations collected by an ex-slave called tia Eva [aunt Eva]. The church has been nominated as a Historic Monument.
- Igreja Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro [west of Tourist Information on Avenida Alfonso Pena] dates from 1938 and is a red brick, partly plastered church. It's a plain church in a beautiful way, with a wooden interior and one blue stained glass window above the altar. The best day to visit this church is Wednesday, when it is chock-full during the entire day because of consecutive prayer sessions. Devotees burn candles and a gospel band lightens the atmosphere. Vendors have a good day setting up their business outside the premises and selling religious paraphernalia or fresh caña, sugar cane juice.
- Igreja Santo Antônio, or Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Abadia since the Pope paid it a visit in 1991 [Rua do Padre], is different from most other churches. This modern structure has an extraordinary, abstract stained glass window composition in one of its walls. The Stations of the Cross are also rendered in stained glass windows.
Indigenous Art Museums and Art Shops in Campo Grande
Campo Grande has Brazil's largest community of native Brazilians, originating from different tribes. The indigenous history and culture is presented in museums and art shops.
- Museum Dom Bosco is Campo Grande's best-known museum on Mato Grosso do Sul's Indians. It focusses on natural history and culture.
- Memorial da Cultura Indígena houses indigenous artefacts.
- With the closure of Barroarte, another indigenous museum, only Casa do Artesão remains, for the time being, as a place to admire indigenous art of painted pots and sculptured wood [Av. Calógeras, 2050. Mon-Fri 8am-18pm / Sat 9am-17pm]. Hopefully the others will open their doors again soon.
- Modern art can be found at Museu de Arte Contemporânea.
Campo Grande in southwest Brazil is a good base to get an idea and feeling for the rich mixture of Mato Grosso do Sul's inhabitants and culture.