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| Eiffel designed markets, under restoration |
British bridges
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| Made in Britain - assembled in Manaus |
and buildings?
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| Customs House - reassembled brick by brick from UK |
A floating dock made in Scotland and sailed out in one piece? Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.
But it's all there. It sits on the confluence of the Solimoes and Negro rivers - it becomes the Amazon downstream - and although established in the 1600s, it wasn't until the 1880s when a rubber boom - similar to the gold boom in Australia around the same time - kick started an amazing but short lived expansion.
It then fell into disrepair after the British smuggled out rubber tree seeds and established plantations in their (more accessible and better controlled) colonies such as Malaya. In an effort to re-establish the area, a Free Economic Zone was established in the latter part of the 20th century which has led to a secondary economic growth period with many major companies establishing headquarters in the city. It's also a significant export port for the crop du jour of soya beans.
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| Old and new- Manaus |
As the major link between a port city and the remote areas of the Amazon, not necessarily limited to Brazil, it's also a hub for small scale traders who buy goods to sell upstream. Like many parts of the country, there is a distinct disparity in wealth, but it was certainly a very lively place to wander around.
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| Small scale local traders |
The port continues to rely heavily on the river for its livelihood - travelling west you can reach Peru, north along the Rio Negro, Venezuela and is in fact considerably closer to Venezuela physically than say Rio or Brasilia.
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| River activity and mixed fortunes |
Gustave Eiffel (of the Tower fame) was convinced that his fabricated steel buildings had a big future in South America and the markets in Manaus are a direct copy of his Parisian creation. They're under restoration at the moment as Manaus is another city slated for FIFA World Cup matches in 2013; there's a bit pf work needed to finish the soccer stadium however.
The fantastically ornate Teatro Amazonas is the stand out building in town.
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| A modest Opera House? |
Almost a folly in its conception, it remains in use and is fully restored.
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| Curtain depicting 'meeting of the waters' |
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| Murano glass lighting, French tiles |
Some of the other ornate buildings of the same era are not so lucky - it's hard keeping up with the jungle.
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| When the jungle takes over |
Although not in Manaus, a similar fate occurred in Fordlandia. In the 1928, Henry Ford thought he'd establish a prefabricated town downstream from Manaus to provide rubber for his vehicle manufacturing business. It was a total disaster, with Ford losing 50% of his workforce to Yellow Fever - we've had the shots - and discovering growing rubber in plantations was not the same as the naturally occurring trees in the jungle. The remains of the plant are still visible near Santarem, 800 kms east from Manaus.
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| Fordlandia, image Atlasobscura |
Although like the majority of South America, the region remains largely Catholic, there is a bit of a growth area in evangelical religions - as can be seen by this establishment.
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| Large scale evangelical church |
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