Yearly Archives: 2024


art of the interior/exterior

Instituto Rouanet is the latest of Tiradentes’ many artistic venues. The former home of my acquaintances, Sergio (1934-2022) and Barbara Rouanet, it was renovated and transformed into a charming exhibition space in the historic center, since 2022. Appropriately, the current exhibition is from recent (2024) works of one of the […]


insanity museum in minas

The Insanity Museum, in the interior of Minas Gerais, opened in 1996 as the first museum dedicated to mental health in Brazil.  It is a delicate subject, handled with dignity, reflection, and without excessive tut-tutting and hand-wringing. The site, on a hill outside the medium-sized city of Barbacena, encompasses a […]


brazilian mission to ica, peru 6

While Ica, Peru may not be technically belong in Backroads Brazil, during a recent mission trip we were able to be of service to a hard-working local church, including throwing a Brazilian Night (the first ever, we were told) with much worship, Brazilian food, decor, presentations, testimonies, and even a […]


the northeast’s ceará

Ceará is a state full of surprises, not all pleasant. From the bone dry caatinga (or semi-desert) interior to the altitude swamp of Ubajara’s high perch to the fleshpots of the coastal capital, Fortaleza (greatly expanded by the Yanks during WWII), the state marvels. My first encounters, after the trials […]