RouteMacapá

Fortaleza de São José: Amazon Fort on the Equator

Macapá straddles the equator on the Amazon River — the Fortaleza de São José, built between 1764 and 1782, is South America's largest 18th-century Portuguese fort and one of the Amazon's most extraordinary colonial monuments

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1
Fortaleza de São José de Macapá
The fortress – built with over 2 million bricks transported by enslaved laborers – is the Amazon's most impressive colonial monument; the star-shaped bastion above the riverbank is one of Brazil's most significant fortifications
2
The Equator Monument (Marco Zero)
The Marco Zero Monument marks the crossing of the equator through Macapá — the city straddles the equatorial line, and the monument is the site of the annual equinox celebration when the shadows disappear at noon
3
Amazon River at Macapá
The Amazon River at Macapá — over 10 km wide at this point — is one of the world's most awe-inspiring geographical spectacles; the brown water stretching to the horizon, the floating communities and the power of the river is palpable
4
Museu Sacaca Amapá Culture
Museu do Desenvolvimento Sustentável Sacaca - a beautiful open-air museum of Amapá's environment and culture - documents the indigenous, quilombo and caboclo communities of the Amazon estuary
5
Equatorial sunsets
At the equator, the sun descends vertically into the Amazon River — the short, spectacular equatorial sunset over the world's largest river is a daily event that defines life in Macapá
6
Craft market in the harbor
The craft market near the fort sells Amapá crafts — woven baskets, seed jewelry and objects made from Amazonian forest materials by the indigenous communities of the state