MYTHOLOGY OF AMAZON

RIVER
The first European to explore the Amazon, in
1541, was the Spanish soldier Francisco de
Orellana, who gave the river its name after
reporting pitched battles with tribes of female
warriors, whom he likened to the Amazons
of Greek mythology.
AMAZON RIVER & ITS
STORIES
The first of those tales concerns alleged
sightings of monstrous giant anacondas,
which are said to grow as long as 40 feet, as
in 12 meters long! For example: renowned
British explorer Percy Fawcett, during his first
expedition in the jungle, claimed to have
seen and shot a 62 ft long (18 m) anaconda, a
claim for which he was ridiculed by scientists.
Henry Walter Bates and Alfred Russel
Wallace have also claimed to have seen
anacondas beyond 30-40 ft (9-12 m).
•
While jaguar attacks on humans are rare nowadays compared to
other big cats, nevertheless cases of man-eating jaguars have been
reported – in parts of the Peruvian Amazon, marauding cats were
said to have become so numerous that native tribes had to move
their settlements (except when capybara, the jaguar’s main prey
species, were plentiful), and Spanish conquistadors were also
vulnerable to attacks.
Another legend concerns the
common potoo, a type of
nocturnal bird that lives in the
area. Since it commonly lives in
pairs consisting of a male and a
female, stories claim potoos
were originally two children
whose evil stepmother
convinced their father to
abandon them in the forest, so
as to become his sole inheritor –
a story that clearly resembles Le
Petit Poucet by French author
Charles Perrault as well
as Hansel and Gretel by the
brothers Grimm.
 • The father’s first attempt to lose them in the woods is foiled by his eldest
child, who has overheard the plot, and drops breadcrumbs along the path to
find the way back home. But the second time, the father succeeds his
gruesome purpose by making sure his children’s pockets are empty – as a
result, the children become completely lost in the jungle. However, no hope is
lost: the spirit of the sachamama, the “mother forest”, takes pity on them,
and decides to adopt them not as children, but as birds.
• This legend originates from the fact that the female potoo’s song is said to
resemble a sad lament called “ay-ay-mama”, and that the male’s cry is highly
similar to that of a human child.
This amazing adventure
is recounted in David
Grann’s successful 2009
book The Lost City of
Z and its 2016 film
adaptation, led by
Charlie Hunnam’s
outstanding
performance as the
troubled Fawcett.
TEMPLES OF AMAZON
 Angkor Wat
• Angkor Wat (meaning “City Temple”) is the most
famous, the most magnificent and the largest of all the
Angkor temples, and a prime example of classical Khmer
design. The structure occupies an enormous site of 494
acres. A huge rectangular moat surrounds the temple,
which rises through a series of terraces to the central
shrine, towering at a height of 669 feet.
• This arrangement reflects the traditional Khmer idea
of the temple mountain, in which the temple represents
Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hinduism. The
bas-reliefs encircling the temple on the first level depict
Hindu epics including the mythical “Churning of the
Ocean of Milk”, a legend in which Hindu deities stir vast
oceans in order to extract the nectar of immortal life.
• The reliefs, including thousands of female dancers, are
carved into the wall of the third enclosure of the
temple. Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century as a
Hindu temple, but later transformed into a place of
worship for Buddhists. It is dotted with gorgeous
balustrades, galleries, chambers, courtyards, corridors
and porches. The legendary sunrise at Angkor Wat is
every bit as spectacular as you might expect it to be.
• Standing proudly, since 1190 AD, at the exact
center of the massive Angkor Thom complex,
the magnificent Bayon temple was one of the
last temples to be built at Angkor and is famous
for its 216 massive stone faces, which look out
in all directions. The curious smiling faces,
thought by many to be a portrait of King
Jayavarman VII himself or a combination of him
and Buddha, are an instantly recognizable
image of Angkor.
• The Bayon rises through three levels to a
height of around 140 feet. The outer gallery on
the first level is home to some well-preserved
bas-reliefs which are thought to depict scenes
of everyday life and historical events, featuring
everything from armies to acrobats, while the
inner gallery on the next higher level depicts
mythical figures and stories. The third level is
where you will encounter the faces, which
surround you. In fact, it is difficult to find a spot
where their eyes will not be watching you.
Banteay Srei is small compared to
some of the other temples but it
should not be overlooked during
your visit to Angkor. Built of fine
grained, rose-pink sandstone, the
temple walls are elaborately
decorated with floral motifs and
epic Ramayana scenes, making it a
jewel of Khmer art. The name
means “Citadel of the Women”
because the intricate carvings are
supposedly too fine for the hand
of a man. Aim to arrive here just
before sunset to catch the last
rays of the sun glowing on the
temple facade.
 Banteay Kdei
Named the ‘Citadel of Cells’, little is known about this mysterious temple. It is presumed that
Banteay Kdei was a Buddhist monastery as hundreds of Buddha statues have been excavated
from the site. The temple was probably built in the 12th century, and after the collapse of the
Khmer Empire it remained neglected and covered with vegetation for hundreds of years.
 Ta Keo
Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, Ta Keo
was built as the state temple of Jayavarman
V, son of Rajendravarman. Legend has it that
the temple was struck by lightning during its
construction, and all work was abandoned
at a stage where the main structure was
complete but before any external carvings
had been added. Also unique is the fact that
Ta Keo is made of green sandstone versus
the deeper brown or grayish color of other
temples at Angkor. The climb to the top of
the temple is very steep, but the view is well
worth it.
 Pre Rup
• With its three central spires, Pre
Rup looks a bit like a mini
Angkor Wat. Pre Rup is made of
gray sandstone, which is a less
durable material than the pink
sandstone that characterizes
some of the other temples at
Angkor. As such, time and
weather has not served the
temple well and many of the
complex carvings and details
have been worn away by rain
and erosion.
• It was built as the state temple of
King Rajendravarman in 961 and
was dedicated to Shiva, and
although it is now a crumbling
temple, it is still magnificent in size
and structure.
 Preah Khan
• The temple of Preah Khan is one of
the largest and most mystical
complexes at Angkor. Its majestic
statues have been vandalized and
disfigured over the years by various
religious sects, yet these layers of
history lend an impenetrable aura to
the temple, which has been left
largely unrestored, with numerous
trees growing among the ruins.
• Preah Khan was built by King
Jayavarman VII and is both a Buddhist
and Hindu temple. Four ceremonial
walkways approach the gates. The
eastern entrance is dedicated to
Mahayana Buddhism with equal-sized
doors. The other principal directions
are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and
Brahma with successively smaller
doors, emphasizing the unequal
nature of Hinduism.
 Prasat Kravan
One of the smaller Angkor
temples, Prasat Kravan was
created in the 10th century and
boasts an impressive facade of
red-brick symmetrical towers. The
bright orange hue of the stone
makes this temple a beautiful
spot to visit. It was reconstructed
by archaeologists in the early 20th
century and is the only temple
here with brick bas-relief. The
temple faces away from the road
so make sure you walk around to
see the impressive carvings
depicting Vishnu inside the
towers. They look particularly
stunning in the sunshine.
 Neak Pean
• Built in the 12th century, Neak
Pean was originally constructed
for medicinal purposes.
• People would come here to
bathe in the waters and
rebalance themselves, thus
curing any diseases. It is the only
temple at Angkor that you
cannot walk through and
explore up close.
• To get to this small temple you
cross a long walkway over a
lake, which adds to the rather
dramatic setting. What remains
of the temple might be a slight
anti-climax, but the small island
surrounded by water gives it a
quite different feel to any of the
other Angkor temples.
 IMPORTANT
PLACES NEAR
AMAZON
RIVER
Teatro Amazonas
Meeting of
Waters
Unusual
meeting of
the Amazon
and
Solimoes
rivers
Manauara Shopping

The most complete shopping

center in northern Brazil.
Managed by Aliansce Sonae.
Amazonian fauna, flora and
culture are our inspirations.
The Palácio Rio
Negro (English: Rio Negro
Palace) is a palace located
in Petrópolis, situated in a
mountainous part of
the state of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. It is one of the official
residences of the President of
Brazil, used mainly as a country
retreat.
The Jornalista Phelippe Daou
Bridge , better known as the Rio
Negro Bridge , is a bridge that
crosses the Negro River in
the Brazilian state of Amazonas . It
connects the municipalities
of Manaus and Iranduba , and is
also part of the Manoel Urbano
Highway . It is currently the
longest cable-stayed
bridge in Brazil , with 3.6 kilometers
length over the largest blackwater
river in the world.
Arena da Amazônia – Vivaldo Lima , or
simply Arena da Amazônia, is
a multipurpose stadium located in the city
of Manaus , capital of Amazonas . It was
built on the same site previously occupied
by Vivaldo Lima Stadium . The homage to
the old Amazonian sport enthusiast, Vivaldo
Lima , which was in the name of the
previous stadium, was kept in the name of
the stadium "Arena da Amazônia – Vivaldo
Lima" to preserve the history of local
football (Law 3966 of
December 9 , 2013 published in the Official
Gazette of the State of Amazonas ).
• The stadium was built to be used as one of
the 12 venues for the 2014 FIFA World
Cup and opened on March 9 , 2014 . The
architect author of his project is Ralf Amann
from the German office GMP.
The Palace of Justice was design for to be the first Judiciary Amazonas
State. Today is a cultural centre, where there are expositions, guide
visit and happen events too . Upstairs the palace has the crime's
museum, and preserve very well the building, since many of the
furniture are originals.