Arraial d’Ajuda: Old Village, New Village

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Arraial d’Ajuda means Settlement of Help and the original village center is just that–a kind of small settlement on top of the bluff overlooking the beautiful ocean. (As a side note, the village was not named because of its helpful nature, but was in honor of one of the principal ships that landed here in the discovery, called the Ajuda). There really wasn’t much to it, just a few small houses and a village square. But as time and tourism moved on, the village extended in the direction of the beach. Now the old part and the new part form a kind of L-shape where the old village leads up to and along the top of the plateau and the new village goes back down toward the beaches on the other side. Both parts are full of restaurants and shops, but the old village houses these shops in small, historical buildings while the new village has modern, well-decorated structures made to be charming and attract customers. The restaurants and shops in the old village are, naturally, cheaper than those in the new village. For sure, you’ll want to spend some time walking around both.

As you enter the town of Arraial d’Ajuda, you’ll most likely enter through the old village. The main road up onto the bluff passes under the old Igreja Nossa Sra. d’Ajuda (Our Lady of Help Church) past the Banho da Santa. The Banho is really just an outdoor shower/bath that is used by hippies and poor villagers. However, legend has it that anyone who bathes there will return to Arraial d’Ajuda.

When you finally make it up into the village, you’ll arrive in the old town square, Praça Brigadeiro E. Gomes, which is a grassy area with shade trees and a relaxed atmosphere. One side of the praça is the main bus stop in town, so if you arrive by bus, you’ll likely get off right there. Bordering the praça are numerous colonial buildings; the 16th century type…small, boxy houses with a window and door in front, colorfully painted and facing the praça. Although most of these have been converted into simple boutique shops, you can still see residents of the town sitting at their windowsills, staring onto the praça. On the far end of the praça is the Nossa Sra. d’Ajuda Church, which is open for visitation from 8am – 5pm daily, closed for lunch. More impressive than the church is the view from behind the church. From there you can see the entire northern coastline of Arraial. If you turn right on the road behind the church (rightly named, Rua Bela Vista) you will come to a couple of very nice and simple pousadas and a couple of bars with incredible views.

Another highlight of the old village is the road that extends from the praça to the new village, called Rua Broduei (that’s phonetic Brazilian for Broadway). This part of the old village is quite popular for restaurants and shops and some economical eateries, such as a bakery and lanchonete on the end near the praça. When you reach the end of Rua Broduei, you’ll come into the Praça São Braz, which is the final part of the old village. Here, you’ll find more quaint colonial buildings, currently in use by the city government, post office, and such. This is also called the Praça Hippie, since it’s usually filled with hippies selling their hand-made jewelry. Since they are not allowed to sell on the streets in town or on the beaches, they took over the praça as a place to set up shop. An unfortunately side affect is that they work aggressively to pull potential customers (can you say gringos?) into the praça from the streets nearby. If you walk near the Praça Hippie, you’ll undoubtedly make one or two new friends there. The hippies and surfers actually discovered Arraial d’Ajuda back in the 1970’s and are now being pushed out by all the upscale progress and evolution in the village.

As you walk from Praça Hippie toward the ocean, you’ll be walking through the new village. Here you’ll find more pousadas, boutique shops and restaurants, but here the offerings are mostly upscale and charming. Thankfully, the atmosphere here maintains its village look and feel and, although the construction is more modern, everything here is quite charming and inviting. It’s worth spending an afternoon walking along the main village road, the Estrada do Mucugé to check out the many shops there. Evenings in this part of the village are buzzing with people choosing restaurants and places to sit for the evening, to watch the movement on the street. The far end of the Estrada do Mucugé bumps into Mucugé Beach, the first and most popular in the area.