Best of Brazil: Then and Now in Belem

I have been meaning to do this post for some time. Several months ago the son of one of our first BMM missionaries here in Brazil sent me some photos and post cards that date back to the 1930’s. Among the photos were a set of postcards from Belem.

As I looked through the cards I recognized two landmarks from my own visit to Belem a couple years ago.
First, there is this picture of a loading dock.

Look closely at the two cranes–one in the foreground and one further back.

Now check out this picture from my recent trip.

This is a picture I took of the same crane, roughly 70 years later. The whole port complex is now a series of swanky restaurants, and the crane and other maritime equipment serve as centerpieces.

This is me sitting at the base of what is the crane in the foreground of the old picture.

Here is another shot, this one of a port for fishing boats in Belem.

And here it is today.

My shot is from a different angle. I am looking to the left while the older picture is looking straight out to sea.

Talk back to the missionary: Have you ever seen an old photograph and thought “Hey! I know that place!”? Tell us about it in the comments section.

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