Tabocas lies near the foot of the Chapada do Araripe and is surrounded by abundant greenery. To reach the area, leave the PE-585 and drive downhill through a landscape of steep slopes, farmhouses, pastures, fields and streams. Together, the landscape and the route give a concrete impression of the area's rural setting.
Everyday culture and musical connections
João Barela's bodega is a typical shop in the countryside, selling non-perishable food and everyday goods. On its façade, between Lampião and Padre Cícero, there is a painting connected to the “Rei do Baião,” Luiz Gonzaga. The musical connection is evident both in a detail on the bodega and in the broader cultural context linking Tabocas with Gonzaga.
The “Rota Caminhos de Gonzaga” is a conceptual route developed by Exu's culture and tourism department. A visit to Tabocas served as an introduction to this route. This brings together a specific reference in the local landscape and a broader cultural context, without describing the route as a particular driving or walking itinerary.
Cultural offerings and regional themes
An announcement published in November 2024 said that the exhibition “Identity, Preservation and Paleontological Memory of Araripe” was scheduled to display fossil finds from the Chapada do Araripe at the Memorial Antônio Saraiva de Albuquerque in Vila de Tabocas starting November 15. It was also intended to encourage discussion about their significance and welcome teachers, students and researchers. The planned exhibition theme brings paleontology together with discussion and education.
A 2016 Cineclube Araripe program scheduled activities for 7:30 p.m. in the cinema room of the Biblioteca Pública Luiz Francisco da Silva. The library is affiliated with the Escola Municipal São Sebastião de Tabocas; the program was to prioritize works from Pernambuco. The two cultural themes have different emphases: the exhibition focused on fossils and their significance, while Cineclube focused on works from Pernambuco.
The AGRODÓIA family experience is located in the Chapada do Araripe, in the Tabocas district and in the rural area of Exu. A municipal document from 2021 gives an average of 2,500 visitors per year. The location links the Chapada, the Tabocas district and rural Exu, while the bodega and its façade painting offer specific points of interest in Tabocas itself.
Cultural context in the wider destination of Exu
In the wider destination of Exu, the Museu do Gonzagão in Parque Aza Branca is dedicated to the life and career of Luiz Gonzaga. The collection includes accordions, hats, leather sandals, leather clothing, gold records and photographs, among other items. A mausoleum containing the musician's remains is also located in Parque Aza Branca. Next to the museum stands the last, very simple house where Luiz Gonzaga lived.
Casa de Januário is a house museum in Parque Aza Branca. It was the home of Seu Januário, Luiz Gonzaga's father, until his death in 1978. The Ambientes de Origem e Memória de Luiz Gonzaga complex is protected as a heritage site because of its cultural significance. Another highlight of the wider destination of Exu is the Santuário Ecológico do Cantarino, an ecotourism attraction.
For the wider travel guide: Exu.
