Home»Brazil/Amazon/Rio Negro Rivers»Rubber/Manioc Village

We traveled to an area where at one point there was a thriving village and company store supported by the booming rubber industry. The photos show the remains of the company store, now being taken over by vines. We visited one of the few homes in the area. They were in the final process of manioc production. Manioc is the staple food for a large portion of Brazilians. Manioc is a carbo rich tuber, which must go through a several step process as there is a poisonous and non-poisonous type of manioc. The poisonous variety contains cyanide. The tuber is peeled, grated then compressed to remove the cyanide liquid. The pulp is then washed and roasted. The photos show the manioc being cooked. Locals who produce manioc on a small scale will keep most of their manioc but will sell/trade some bags of manioc for things they need. One of the guides opened a seed pod and adorned Marys face. We then visited a small school hut, where when given a machete, Mary a retired school teacher becomes Mary the teacher, with an attitude. Also one photo shows what happens when a rubber tree is hit with a machete, the white rubber starts to ooze out of the cut. The last photo is of an orchid. ( I believe ).