by the close of the nineteenth century paraty's population had dwindled to some 600 people, down from 16,000 at midcentury - after that, paraty existed in a state of nearly complete isolation, as the old trails fell into disuse so the town was essentially only accessible by boat.

this changed somewhat in the 1950s when a dirt road connecting paraty to nearby cunha was constructed - then in the 1970s br-101, the highway that links rio de janeiro to santos, was completed - finally providing real modern access to paraty.

at this point, paraty's seclusion turned into its greatest asset - because of its separation from the outside world, its original architecture and arrangement had remained unchanged, in addition to its typical foods, venerated religious processions and artisanal production of various goods.