Juma Lodge's Glossary

Angelim

Also known as fava-de-bolota, it is a tree whose flowers are dark red.

Aquariquara

Typical Amazonian tree, with a very versatile wood.

Arara

Macaw, a bird with very colorful feathers and a strong beak.

Babaçu

Palm tree that produces small seeds which serve to the manufacture of cooking oil, much apreciated in the region. Its leaves are used for roofing.

Caboclo ribeirinho

Literally "native who dwells by the river", is a descendent of local Indians who have a very peculiar way of life, throroughly integrated to the Amazonian river system for food (fish and farming), transportation and other daily activities.

Carlos Gomes

One of the greatest Brazilian maestros and classic music composer, lived in the 19th century and is the author of O Guarani, an internationally aclaimed masterpiece.

CIGS

Short for Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva, the Jungle War Instruction Center, as the name implies, an army base especialized in the training of soldiers for jungle warfare.

Cotia

A small rodent with brown fur, living on the flooded land. At dusk can be spotted eating fruits that fall from the trees.

Enrico Caruso

Considered to be one the greatest tenors of all time, had his carreer peak at the beginning of the 20th century.

Igapó

Part of the Amazon rainforest that stays underwater during the rainy season, when the water level rises up to 20 meters.

Igarapé

A creek inside the jungle.

Itaúba

A tree with thick leaves and a hard yellowish wood which produces a tasty blackberry type fruit.

Jacaré

Alligator, a reptile similar to the crocodile, though smaller, reaching up to 5 meters (15 feet).

Jacareúba

A tree with very hard wood and beautiful orange flowers.

La Traviatta

One of the most popular operas in the world, La Traviatta is considered to be Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece.

Onça

Jaguar, the rainforest biggest cat, is a night hunter and agile tree climber.

Piranha

A carnivorous fish famous for its ferocity. In the Amazon region are of small size.

Pirarucu

Brazil's biggest fish, can feed a family of 10 for a month and reach 200 kilos!

Rubber boom

At the end of the 19th century and into the beginning of the 20th, the price of rubber went skyhigh, turning a handful of Manaus merchants extremely rich overnight . Such sudden fortune resulted in the construction of many beautiful landmarks as the Amazonas Theatre, the Customs Building, the Floating Docks and the City Market. It is said that many rubber barons, as those men were called, sent their laundry to Europe, just to show off their newly acquired position. Which lasted less than a decade...

Tambaqui

Harder to catch but more tasteful than the tucunaré, the tambaqui is usually fished in the middle of the region's rivers.

Tucunaré

A spotted fish very common in the Northern region of Brazil where it can be found in shallow waters in great quantity during the dry season. Its meat is much appreciated.