The Old Women River and the Anhanguera Painting

The name “Rio das Velhas” (The Old Women River) in popular tradition says that the explorer from São Paulo Bartolomeu Bueno, as he approached the river, came across three old women squatting on its banks near Sabará. The "Rio das Velhas" is the largest tributary of the São Francisco River and its entire course (761 km) is within the territory of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Its source is in Ouro Preto, from where part like a serpent, with great sinuosity towards the north of the state. Part of the river's course crosses a limestone region with very atypical_ the Castre de Lagoa Santa. The river is fed by underground streams; lagoons appear and disappear 'mysteriously', such as the famous Lagoa do Sink. How many surprises and legends these facts must have generated...! By the indigenous people the river was called Guaicuí. According to the book Toponymy of Minas Gerais, the word comes from guaimi_ old woman. Bartolomeu Bueno was called Anhanguera by the Indigenous. The Jesuits during catechesis of the Brazilian indigenous people misinterpreted with the meaning "old devil" or "bad thing", rather than "old soul". It says the legends: In the beginning Nhanderuvucu created the soul, which in the Tupi Guarani language is 'anhang' or 'aña', the soul; 'gwea' means old or ancient. This painting is being shown in the River in Motion exhibition, at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Museum of Life, in Rio de Janeiro. The exhibition began on December 20, 2019, it was interrupted at the beginning of the pandemic, and then it was reassembled. Due to the great success of visitation, the exhibition was extended by two years, finished at December, 20, 2023. You can watch videos about the exhibition at: https://youtu.be/mFbMcL7KrQ8

Painting:Acrylic on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:27.6 W x 23.6 H x 1.2 D in

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