Church

From the 1700's, which was 200 years after the Portuguese settled here. The discovery of gold in neighboring Minas Gerais brought new wealth here. This picture is only a transept. The main altar/apse is much bigger and more ornate. There's very little natural light in here, so the worshippers way back when probably never got a proper look at all the details.  Obviously, the masonry and rococó work was done by skilled European tradesmen, but I wonder how many slaves were worked to death in the quarries, gold mines, and sawmills.
Today I leave for the "interior" for a week. Not sure how connected I will be. It's a nature reserve, called Chapada Diamantina, if you want to research it.