Urban Geotourism and the Old Centre of São Paulo City, Brazil

The use of geotouristic trails will be an efficient means of publicising geosciences. The proposal here is a trail in the old centre of São Paulo City, Brazil, describing the main types of stones that have ornamented buildings since the nineteenth century when São Paulo ceased to be a city of taipa (rammed earth) buildings and became the masonry city of the republic. Itaquera Granite is one of the most important stones in the ornamentation of the floors and facades in this new phase of construction in the city of São Paulo. Later, other types of stones were used, such as the Mauá, Ubatuba, Itupeva and Piracaia granites, as well as imported stones, such as travertine and lioz limestone. There is also a discussion of the influence of geomorphology in the establishment of the former urban core, with the location of the so-called Historic Triangle at higher topographic levels. This paper discusses the history and evolution of São Paulo City and its relation to the local geology.