Paraibuna - Paraibuna visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Paraibuna' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from São Paulo.

Paraibuna is a small town on in the Vale do Paraíba (Paraíba Valley) next to the man made lake created by the Represa Paraibuna on the Rio Paratinga in São Paulo state of Brazil. The town is at an elevation of about 635m above sea level and was founded in 1666 when a hut and a chapel in honour of St Anthony was built.

Paraibuna was raised from village to town status in 1857 and between 1830 to 1870 grew prosperous on coffee plantations. As the coffee trade subsequently declined, farmers turned to growing cotton, but the prosperity of Paraibuna was affected. In the 1920's the fortune of the region turned around again with the introduction of dairy cattle farming. It was also aided by the construction of the President Dutra Freeway linking Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo, and the Tamoios Highway.

In the 1960s, the Paraibuna-Paraitinga Dam was built, which lead to flooding of much of the cattle grazing land and loss of workers. Today, Paraibuna is fostering tourism as a means to improve the local economy.

Paraibuna - Tourist Attractions

• Bica D'Água - a water spout in the middle of the town which supplied the needs of the town and people driving cattle to market until the 1960's.
• Fundação Cultural e Casarões da Praça - The Fundação Cultural (Cultural Foundation) building was built in 1878 as a cotton factory in times when the coffee industry was in decline.
• Igreja Matriz - Paróquia Santo Antônio de Paraibuna - built in 1872 and inaugurated in 1886 the church became the focal point of worship and important community focus, with paintings by Alvaro Pereira on the ceiling.
• Praça da Matriz - the main square around which are various shops, the Igreja Martiz and restaurants.
• Mercado Municipal - municipal market built by José Porfírio da Silva in 1880 providing Paraibuna with an important facility, currently housing over 40 different traders.
• Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Divino Espírito Santo (House of Mercy of the Holy Spirit) - local hospital built between 1889 and 1901 to meet a desperate gap in healthcare in the region.
• Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Church of Our Lady of the Rosary) - construction of this church started in 1841 but coming to a halt between 1843-58 and finally completed in 1871.
• Morro do Remédio (Remedy Hill) - 18km from Paraibuna this is one of the highest local landmarks on which is the Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, with good views of the surrounding area on a clear day.
• Paraibuna-Paraitinga Dam - built in the 1960s to provide water to the surrounding area, this has now created a vast lake.

Road: Paraibuna is 37km south of São José dos Campos and 50km north of Caraguatatuba on the SP099 road. It is 100km northwest of Ubatuba.