Guaratingueta, Estrada Real

Guaratingueta is a well-established city in the state of . It gets its name from a phrase in the Tupi language that means "many white herons" due to the abundance of herons along the Paraiba do Sul River that flows around the southern and eastern edge of the city.

Drawn to the minerals hidden in the Minas Gerais, the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and settled the area. By the 18th century, it became a supply station for travellers from the interior, and another century later, it became a coffee producer. For a period in the mid-1800s, coffee was used as hard currency, boosting the city’s wealth and standing. Immigration in the city increased with the introduction of the steam railway, providing much-needed manpower, especially as slavery was abolished.

By the 20th century, arable land was depleted of nutrients, and coffee production was in decline. Economic attention was focused on industrialisation, commerce, tourism, and education. New universities sprang up, offering courses in aeronautics, technology and engineering.

A notable figure from Guaratingueta was cardiologist Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini, who in 1963 established the internationally recognised Heart Institute in São Paolo and in 1968 performed the first heart transplant in South America.

Tucked away on the outskirts of the city is the Frei Galvão Sanctuary, where a white life-sized statue of Friar Galvão stands on a pedestal outside the entrance. Born locally in 1739, the friar entered a Jesuit seminary at 13 and later joined the Franciscan Order.

During his lifetime, the friar built a church, a hermitage and a friary. He spent considerable time as a preacher, confessor, spiritual leader, and friary porter, and also drafted guidelines for living a religious life. Dedicated to his work, the friar grew within the Order’s ranks. However, his construction of the hermitage did not come without any challenges. Politicians who disliked the community intervened more than once, but the friar was committed to the cause and with the Portuguese Viceroy’s assistance, the hermitage was finally completed. Today, the hermitage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a museum of sacred art. In 2007, the friar was canonised by the Vatican, making him the first Brazilian-born person to be canonised.