At first sight, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso is a city that is relatively peaceful. Intersected by the River Cuiabá, the city was the destination of explorers and adventurers who in the 18th and 19th centuries set out from São Paulo on river expeditions, sailing up the River Tietê and the network of tributaries of the Rivers Paraná and Paraguay to the River Cuiabá, settling in the centre of Brazil, setting up trading posts and going in search of the regions abundant gold reserves.
Dating from those times, the city has churches such as the Rosário, built by slaves in 1722 and where the high altar is painted in gold; there is also the Pedras Ramis Bucair Museum housed in an former mansion where in addition to a display of stones, there are around 4,000 archaeological exhibits, including the femur of a 120 million year old tyrannosaurus and stone axes dating from the neolithic period, found in the region. Also from the past, the city preserves traditions such as the Festival of São Benedito.
From the city of Cuiabá, and almost as an extension to it, it is possible to travel to the mysterious Chapada dos Guimarães, overwhelming Pantanal region or fly into the green Amazon forrest.
