MERCADO VER-O-PESO

It's one of the symbols of Belém. Its name (literally, "to see the weight") comes from the controls and samplings once carried out by colonial agents in the port. Street vendors display spices, a multitude of colorful fruits to be sampled without moderation, stalls selling fried foods, amulets and aguardente (liqueur). A more conventional part of the market houses stalls selling ordinary clothes. The metal pavilion, dating from the early ^20th century, is in the Art Nouveau style. Here you'll find products from the sea, the Amazon River and the Amazon rainforest, as well as amazing fish of all sizes, including pirarucu.

The fascinating mix of colors, aromas and flavors of exotic plants and foods is a must-see for travelers. With its 26,500 m², the Ver-o-Peso is an open market with thousands of people. In its many shacks, you'll be able to buy all the fruits of the region (pineapple, papaya, bacuri, cupuaçu, uxi, tapereba, açai, pupunha, etc.), as well as a wide variety of foods, meats, vegetables, plants used in folk medicine and forest plants. Adding a touch of the mystical and the magical to the shopping list are all manner of potions and remedies: from infusions to resolve a simple toothache, to vials(garrafadas) containing decoctions of plants and animal parts designed to "tame" husbands. It's a veritable synthesis of the Amazon.