Itutinga - Pilões

Brazil Travel / Ecotourism - Enclosing the mountain ranges Cubatão, Poço, Meio, Mogi and partially Morrão, the municiple of Cubatão comprises a large part of the central segment of the Itutinga - Pilõs section of the Serra do Mar State Park (São Paulo State, Brazil). During the pre-colonial and colonial time, these mountain ranges belonged to the captaincy of São Vicente and their land was conceded in form of so - called sesmarias to Portuguese noblemen, by the donatário of the captaincy, Martim Afonso de Sousa.

In these times, access to the highland was difficult. On the one hand, there were the seemingly unconquerable Serra do Mar escarpments and on the other hand there were the mangrove and restinga forests around the island of São Vicente, which inhibited a terrestrial connection between the São Vicente (1532) and Santos (1539) and the foot of the mountain chain. The only existing connection was the Cubatão river waterway to the fluvial port of Peaçaba / (Piaçaguera) and from there the Tupiniquins Trail to Praná Piacaba (actual Paranapiacaba), on the plateau.

Due to constant attacks of the Tamoio Indians, this historical trail was closed in 1560 by an order of Mem de Sá, the third general governor of Brazil. It was replaced by a shorter trail, which followed the steep Perequê river valley and which was named after the Jesuit priest José de Anchieta. The trail merged with the Almadias / (Santa Cruz) fluvial port, close to the confluence of the Perequê and the Cubatão river. This trail (and its port) were only substituted by the Calçada do Lorena and its Porto Geral during the second half of the 18th century which initiated the foundation of the village of Cubatão.

See also: Trails & Tours