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The relics that tell the family’s history
In the heart of the Serra da Canastra, in Minas Gerais, there is a site that seems to have stopped in time. The scene was captured by the channel Simplão de Tudo, which visited the property near the Casca d’Anta Waterfall and showcased the routine of a resident who keeps alive customs that many people today only know from family stories.
The owner of the place, known as Néria, lives surrounded by wood chopped with an axe, ancient objects passed down from generation to generation, and a simple way of life. She makes artisanal cheese with milk from her own cows, washes clothes on a stone, and welcomes tourists who climb the mountain in search of waterfalls and end up finding a piece of Minas Gerais’ past.
A wooden house that withstood time
The construction is the first detail that draws attention. The house has no ceiling: the wood of the roof is exposed, darkened by the years, and was handcrafted, at a time when, according to the resident, the wood was often chopped with an axe and sawn with a crosscut saw. It was a labor-intensive job, quite different from today’s ease, when everything arrives ready-made.
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The history of the house also spans generations. There lived Néria’s great-grandfather, grandparents, and parents. Her father even demolished an even older construction and erected the current one, using part of the old wood, which remains strong. Today, in the Serra da Canastra, she is the one who keeps the property standing, after her parents passed away and one of her brothers recently died, leaving her and the other two, Gaspar and Nadir.
The relics that tell the family’s history
Inside, the house is almost a small emotional museum. There are old photos of the great-grandfather and parents, an old clock, a clay filter still in use, a cauldron, a dresser that belonged to the mother, and a china cabinet from the same era. Each piece carries a memory, and the resident makes a point of keeping everything in place.
One of the objects draws more attention than the others. Néria shows a small tray that, according to her, is almost 350 years old and has been passed down through several generations of the family. For her, the value is sentimental, it is priceless. Among the relics of Serra da Canastra, it is this type of memory that gives meaning to the routine, even with the awareness that many of these things are lost over time.
The artisanal cheese and the farm pantry
The main product of the farm is cheese. Néria produces artisanal Minas cheese with milk from her own cows, milked by hand, without mechanical milking, and shows the clean and sanitized environment where she stores the pieces, at different stages of aging, from the freshest to the most mature. For her, the taste of the milk changes according to the cattle’s diet, and that’s why she prefers the more natural way of raising the animals.
The pantry goes far beyond cheese. Those who pass through Serra da Canastra find dulce de leche, homemade cookies, meat in a can, mocotó jelly, honey, special regional coffee, avocado oil, bamboo shoots, queijada, coconut candy, requeijão, and even cachaça, which she sells but does not drink. These are artisanal products that become travel souvenirs for tourists, alongside mugs and t-shirts featuring local fauna, such as the maned wolf and the seriema.
The clothes washed on the stone and the water that springs from the mountains
Another custom that impresses visitors is the laundry washing. Néria washes the clothes on the stone, with soap, and uses the ancient technique of “quarar”, leaving the clothes in the sun to help whiten them. This is how her mother also washed, and the resident keeps the habit alive, even with the simpler and more laborious life that it represents.
All this is possible thanks to the abundance of water. On the farm, water is plentiful and comes from a spring in the mountains, in the region known as Serra da Babilônia, part of the same range as Serra da Canastra. There is even a water wheel on the property. In times of drought, however, the resident and neighbors feel the difference, with weaker pastures and low reservoirs.
The animals and the scenery that enchant visitors
The farm is full of animal life. Peacocks, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, drakes, a little donkey, cattle, and even buffaloes roam the land, some so tame that they approach visitors. It is a scenario that makes the channel’s presenter say he is impressed, comparing the beauty of the place to a paradise. The property is open to the public, and visitors can explore almost every corner.
The surroundings reinforce the feeling of a journey back in time. The Serra da Canastra attracts many tourists, especially those heading towards the waterfalls, like Casca d’Anta, in 4×4 vehicles, filling the local inns. Along the way, there are very old houses, some over three centuries old according to the locals, which are much photographed. The presenter even comments on having heard that, in the basement of one of them, enslaved people lived in the past, a harsh reminder of the local history.
Why this way of life attracts so many people
The interest in this type of scene is not small. The channel itself claims to have reached millions of people in a single month, and the videos about country life spark strong curiosity in the audience, both inside and outside Brazil. The contrast between the hustle and bustle of the cities and the simplicity of the countryside is precisely what enchants those who watch.
There is also a tone of farewell in these stories. The presenter notes that this way of life is gradually disappearing, and that recording the culture of the people is a way of not letting this memory fade away. In Serra da Canastra, as long as Néria keeps the wooden house, the cheese just right, and the clothes on the stone, a piece of the Minas Gerais past continues to resist, right in front of those who decide to climb the mountain to visit.
A piece of Minas that insists on not disappearing
A story of Néria shows that, in the heart of Minas Gerais, there are still places where time flows at a different pace. The old house, the relics, the handmade cheese, and the water that springs from the mountains create a portrait of a rural Brazil that many people thought only existed in the memories of the older generation.
Now we want to hear from you. Does this way of living in Serra da Canastra remind you of a relative’s home, or does it seem too far from your reality? Would you have the courage to swap the city for such a routine, or do you think it’s more beautiful to watch than to live?
Share your story below, tell us if you know a similar place, and share this article with those who love country life and Minas Gerais traditions.
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