Brazil Eco Adventure Tours
Rainforest - Hiking & Biking - Wildlife

With the constant traffic of the troops, one of the river crossings transformed into a big obstacle making it difficult for them to pass. In the rainy season, when the waters of the river were high, the troops were obliged to wait until the waters came down and they could pass this part of the river, which was usually full of mud (barro). By the time, one of those places transformed into a tiny ranch which could offer a basic infrastructure for the troops during their stay. Because of the mud, they first called this place "Barreiro" and later when the chapel of São José was built, they extended its name to São José do Barreiro.

When the gold rush came to an end, coffee should initiate the next economic cycle in Brazil. Due to the excellent fertility of the soils from the Paraiba valley and the proximity to the ports of Paraty and Mambucaba, many coffee farms opened during the 18th century in the region and São José do Barreiro became considerably rich at this time. The beautiful buildings and houses of the coffee farms remember of the times when São José do Barreiro played an important role in São Paulo´s coffee industry.

Actually São José do Barreiro´s economy is centered in agriculture (rice, feijão beans, mice, manioc and sugar cane), milk production, cattle and ecotourism which every year becomes more important due to the large number of attractions either cultural - historic (old coffee farms and houses) or natural (Serra da Bocaina, trails and waterfalls).