Shopping in Lencois Maranhenses

Lencois Maranhenses Shopping Guide

Local Arts and Crafts

Neighbourhood shops manufacture and sell locally-crafted handicrafts, primarily made of bits of trees and palm leaves. You will be able to find some extraordinary pieces. In Barreirinhas, be sure to look for crafts made from the local buriti palm.

A good spot to visit for local handicrafts in Lencois Maranhenses is the village of Tratada de Cima, where you will be able to find some nice souvenirs, snacks and drinks. The major products of this region include cashew nuts, fish, manioc and the buriti palm trees. In the coastal areas, fishing is a major source of income and agriculture is only for private consumption.

There are only a few families that deal with pottery in the area. There are several small-scale production houses that run year round, although the exhaustive clay extraction process has had a negative impact on the environment of the region. This, plus the concentrated cultivation of buriti fibre for handicraft use, are the two activities that have had the largest environmental impact in the region.

For local handicrafts in Lencois Maranhenses, we've listed a few of our favorites. See below for more information. 

There are no shops in Caburé, so remember to take supplies of all your necessities with you.

Petrobras

The Lencois Maranhenses region first became popular during the 1970s due to the Petrobras-sponsored search for oil in the sand fields. The initial interest in the buriti fibre came from employees of Petrobras, who visited the park and played a major role in promoting indigenous activities. Now buriti crafting has become one of the main tourist attractions in the area. Objects are often crafted by women, while men extract the raw material from the trees. With a very limited number of employment opportunities, harvesting the buriti fibre has become a very sustainable alternative. At present, tourism and local handicrafts are the two main sources of income for the region. Local artisans make hammocks, huts and many other items from buriti palms. Thanks to the popularity of the natural material, the local population has changed their attitude regarding the use of modern construction materials from Barreirinhas, and instead, have come to rely on the buriti palms trees as a local resource.