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The city of Aquidauana MS is the Gateway to the Pantanal, one of the most beautiful ecosystems in the world and with many tourist attractions. The city enchants with its unique scenery.
O Rio Aquidauana deu nome ao município, sua origem vem do vocabulário dos índios da etnia Guaicuru, que significa rio estreito.
Currently, the Indians who live in the municipality are of the Terena ethnic group, who make up a population of more than 9,000 Indians, spread over 9 villages. Next to the Railway Station is the Indigenous Market, where the agricultural produce of the villages is sold.
Founded on August 15, 1892 by 5 cattle ranchers, Aquidauana is a centenary city, with colonial architecture in the Historic Center, on the banks of the Aquidauana River and around the Mother Church, some buildings are and others are in the process of becoming centenary.
In addition to the Historic Center, Aquidauana is home to the ruins of the extinct citadel of Santiago de Xerez, built on the banks of the river 12 km from the current city center.
Listed among the first 34 cities built in America, of Spanish origin, Santiago de Xerez was built in 1600 and destroyed in 1632 by Portuguese bandeirantes.
Another natural feature of Aquidauana, in addition to the Pantanal, is the Serra de Maracaju, which has scenic and bucolic beauties typical of the interior, such as steep hills, waterfalls and white sandy beaches on the banks of the river.
The region is crossed by the MS 450 highway, which for these reasons, in 2000, created a category of Conservation Unit, the Piraputanga Park Road, 42.4 km along the banks of the Aquidauana River.
There are also some cataloged caves, with cave inscriptions from the time of the hunter-gatherers who inhabited this region thousands of years ago.
Its exuberant cultural and historical beauty has a strong appeal.
At the end of the 20th century, tourism reached the Pantanal ranches with the advent of the filming of the soap opera Pantanal (for the now defunct Rede Manchete), which was set on the Rio Negro ranch, owned by the traditional Rondon family, in the early 1990s.
The Pantanal of Aquidauana has Pantanal lodges that are still in business and are distributed throughout the municipality. These offer a wide range of leisure options such as horse riding, night spotting, photographic safari, hiking, chalana rides, and visitors can also enjoy the typical Pantanal cuisine.
Another aspect of tourism in the municipality is the events that take place throughout the year, such as the lasso competitions in the Lasso Clubs, the Paraguayan Soup Festival organized by the Paraguayan colony, ExpoAqui, PiraFolia, the Comitivas Meeting, and the Fish Festival, which is also a traditional activity that has made the Aquidauana River famous. This event is organized by the Aquidauana City Hall, with the support of the Fishermen’s Colony.
Come and discover Aquidauana… A combination of welcoming people, strong culture and concentrated nature.
Aquidauana MS - História, Cultura e Turismo
Main tourist attractions in Aquidauana MS
- Igreja Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição
- Casa Parachial Padre José May (casa dos padres)
- Escola Parochial (Ginásio Imaculada Conceição – GIC)
- Praça Nossa Senhora Imaculada Conceição
- Museu de Arte Pantaneira
- Praça Afonso Pena (Dos Estudantes)
- Igreja Santo Afonso – Igreja de Pedra – Aldeia Limão Verde
- Estação Ferroviária de Aquidauana
- Colégio Modelo
- Ponte Roldão Carlos de Oliveira (Velha ou da Amizade)
- 9º Batalhão de Engenharia e Combate “Batalhão Carlos Camisão” (9º BEC)
- Museu Marechal José Machado Lopes (9º BEC)
- Parque Natural Municipal da Lagoa Comprida
- Estrada-Parque Piraputanga – MS 450
1. Igreja Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição
Built in the 1930s in an architectural style with Gothic features.
Responsibility for the project can be attributed to the São Paulo engineer Alexandre Albuquerque, who worked on the team responsible for building the Sé Cathedral in São Paulo.
For a long time, it was said that the idea came from the builder Francisco Luciano Seccomani, an Italian who arrived in Aquidauana in the early years of the 20th century and was in charge of the construction work.
Today it is the Mother Church of the Parish of Our Lady Immaculate Conception and is under the tutelage of the Redemptorist missionaries, who were responsible for its construction. It belongs to the Diocesan Curia of Jardim MS. Praça Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição, s/nº – Centro.
2. Casa Parachial Padre José May (casa dos padres)
Built in the 1930s, it is the residence of the Redemptorist Missionaries who work in the parish of Our Lady Immaculate Conception and the itinerant missionary team of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
The house has an architectural style similar to the other buildings under the responsibility of the Redemptorists in the cities of the region, as can be seen in the municipalities of Miranda, Bela Vista and Ponta Porã. It belongs to the Campo Grande Province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Praça Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição, s/nº – Centro.
3. Escola Parochial (Ginásio Imaculada Conceição – GIC)
The year 1931 marked a new phase for the newly created Redemptorist Mission of Aquidauana. After the meeting in October of the previous year, Fr. Francís asked Fr. Estevão Heigenhauser, in São Paulo, to recommend a female religious congregation to run the schools he intended to create in all the parishes.
Estevão simply crossed the street that separated the residence of the Redemptorist Fathers from the Provincial House of the Vincentian Sisters behind the Church of Penha, in São Paulo, and spoke to the Mother Provincial.
On January 20, the Mother Provincial and two other Vincentian Sisters were in Aquidauana for a reconnaissance of their future apostolic field. On March 9, 1931, the first parish school in Aquidauana began operating under the name “Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro”, under the guidance of the Vincentian Sisters. It was later renamed “Ginásio Imaculada Conceição” (Immaculate Conception Gymnasium) – GIC, and educated thousands of students from primary school to high school.
Built in the 1930s, it functioned as a school until the 1970s. Always linked to Catholic religious, it remained in the popular memory as the Ginásio Imaculada Conceição – GIC. Its architectural style is similar to that of other buildings under the responsibility of the Redemptorists in the cities of the region, as can be seen in the municipalities of Miranda, Bela Vista and Ponta Porã. It belongs to the Campo Grande Province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Address: Praça Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição, s/nº – Centro.
4. Praça Nossa Senhora Imaculada Conceição
This is the area of the square where the founders gathered and the minutes of the city’s foundation were drawn up, under the shade of a leafy acury tree. This is the starting point for the first buildings, which are the oldest in the city. Rua Praça Nossa Senhora Imaculada Conceição, Centro.
5. Museu de Arte Pantaneira
Built in the 1918s by order of Manoel Antônio Paes de Barros, one of the organizers of the initial settlement, it had a residential character. Over the years it has been occupied by various public and private activities.
In 1998, the Pantanal Art Museum was established on the site. It has a neo-colonial architectural style in keeping with the other buildings around it. It belongs to the Municipal Government.
6. Praça Afonso Pena (Dos Estudantes)
Praça dos Estudantes, as it is popularly known, offers a large leisure area with a children’s playground, space for board games and an acoustic shell for events. Rua Sete de Setembro, Centro.
7. Igreja Santo Afonso – Igreja de Pedra – Aldeia Limão Verde
The Catholic Church stands at the junction of the road and the main street in the center of the village.
In 1932, the Redemptorist Fathers, with the help of two Vincentian Sisters and using four carts, brought the stones to build the church, which initially also served as a school. The head mason was Portuguese, José Maria da Cruz.
8. Estação Ferroviária de Aquidauana
The Aquidauana Railway Station began to be built in 1908 and was inaugurated on December 21, 1912. It was originally a building with a small platform, in the style of the stations of the time (Piraputanga, Camisão and Taunay).
The movement at the station meant that the commercial center, which had previously been concentrated on the banks of the Aquidauana River, gradually moved closer to the station. For many decades it was the main means of transportation for the population.
In the 1960s, the old station was refurbished with the structure we know today, more spacious and modern with straight lines (characteristic architecture of the time, due to the traces of Brasilia).
In 1996, the passenger train stopped running on the tracks, leaving only the freight train.
In 2009, it underwent a revitalization and the Pantanal Express tourist train began to run, bringing tourists to see the beauty of the Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso, but its activities ended in 2013.
Today, the station has a new meaning for our city. There is currently a restaurant there, the Estação Pantaneira, the Aquidauana Entrepreneur’s Room, the Casa do Artesão and the CAT (Tourist Service Center).
9. Colégio Modelo
Built in 1930, it was one of the city’s first schools and the first public school group. In recent years it was home to the Antônio Corrêa State School, which closed at the end of 2008.
It is owned by the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, which gave the building to the municipality, which for a time housed the Casa das Fundações de Cultura, Turismo e de Esporte – Address: Rua Teodoro Rondon, s/nº – Centro.
10. Ponte Roldão Carlos de Oliveira (Velha Ou da Amizade)
Its construction began in 1918 on stone pillars and wooden ballasts, and it was inaugurated on December 19, 1921. It was the first non-fluvial link between the two parts of the city, the left bank, today Anastácio, and the central region Aquidauana.
Its architecture is striking, and it was an adaptation of an English railway bridge that for several decades served as the only link with the neighboring municipality of Anastácio.
On October 13, 1950, it was closed to heavy vehicles because it is 23 meters high and 63 meters long. It also crosses the Aquidauana River, which gave its name to the municipality.
Its use is very important for traffic in the region. – Address: Rua Praça Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição.
11. 9º Batalhão de Engenharia e Combate “Batalhão Carlos Camisão” (9º BEC)
Construction of the building began in 1920 and was completed in 1923. It has housed several Brazilian Army corps, due to its strategic location in the municipality. Since its creation on October 6, 1942, it was incorporated into the Brazilian Expeditionary Force for the fighting in World War II, where more than 700 men were attached to this military unit.
It is a milestone in the Army’s history, being the first Brazilian troop to go into combat in the Italian campaign, successfully participating in the battles of Monte Castelo, Castelnuovo and Montese. Subordinated to the Western Military Command, it trains contingents of reservists and qualifies them for the job market. It is present in the local community, especially in disaster situations, and provides construction services for local governments.
In some situations, it takes part in multi-vaccination campaigns. It is owned by the Ministry of the Army.
Carlos de Morais Camisão, a colonel who led the troops in the Retirada da Laguna during the Paraguayan War. He was born in Rio de Janeiro (08/May/1821) and died of cholera in Jardim/MS (29/May/1867). He received decorations from various orders of the time: Order of Christ (1849), Imperial Order of the Rose (1849) and Order of Avis (1860).
he Paraguayan War, or War of the Triple Alliance, was the largest international armed conflict in South America. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay).
In April 1865, a column left Rio de Janeiro and was reinforced in Uberaba/MG, forming a military column with 3,000 men to fight the Paraguayans. E
his war lasted from December 1864 to March 1870. It is called the War of the Triple Alliance in Argentina and Uruguay, and the Great War in Paraguay.
Retirada de Laguna (Laguna’s retreat) A remarkable episode in the Paraguayan War, when in January 1867 Colonel Calos Camisão took command of the column, then reduced to 1,680 men, and decided to invade Paraguayan territory, where he penetrated as far as the current municipality of Bela Vista/MS, in April.
The troops stayed well away from the Brazilian border, and without enough food they were affected by cholera, typhus and beriberi. As a result, the Brazilian troops were forced to retreat under constant attacks from Paraguayan cavalry.
Of the 3,000 troops that arrived, only 700 reached the Brazilian lines at Coxim/MS in June 1868. It was portrayed in the novel by Visconde de Taunay – A Retirada da Laguna (who was a young officer at the time) which describes the whole epic and also describes the region of Aquidauana and Anastácio.
12. Museu Marechal José Machado Lopes (9º BEC)
Located on the premises of the Carlos Camisão Battalion, it was created to house the collection consisting of what is considered to be the largest war trophy won by Brazil, a German flag seized in the Scodogna region, (1m50cm by 2m50cm, captured by the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in World War II (1939-1945), during the Italian Campaign (1944-1945), photos, documents and objects used by the soldiers.
The 9th Engineering Battalion, which was the first troop to go into combat in the Italian Campaign, and the only Brazilian military engineering battalion to take part in World War II. Rua Duque de Caxias, s/nº – Bairro Alto.
13. Parque Natural Municipal da Lagoa Comprida
There is a lagoon called Comprida in the urban area of Aquidauana. It is located around 1.5 km from the lower course of the João Dias stream.
With environmental concerns, the city council created the Comprida Lagoon Municipal Nature Park with the aim of preserving the natural ecosystem of great ecological importance and scenic beauty, protecting the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
The Lagoa Comprida Park is a space for contemplation and leisure, as it offers the population free spaces for interaction, a sand volleyball court and a walking track, as well as stunning scenery that even helps people’s mental health, in addition to having enormous importance in the conservation of the city’s urban system.
14. Estrada-Parque Piraputanga – MS 450
Covering 10,108 hectares, this Environmental Protection Area (APA) was created in 2000 and comprises a stretch of 42.5 continuous kilometers of road between Aquidauana and Dois Irmãos do Buriti.
With its unique scenic beauty and natural attractions, the Piraputanga Park Road is made up of savannah and mountain ranges, and is home to countless species of animals.
Objectives: to protect the landscape, ecology and cultural history, to promote the recovery of the Aquidauana River basin and the formations of the Serra de Maracaju, making them compatible with the rational use of environmental resources and the orderly occupation of the land, guaranteeing environmental quality and the quality of life of the indigenous communities.
