Icoaraci
A riverside town 18 km (11 miles) northeast of Belém, Icoaraci is a good place to buy marajoara pottery.
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Indigenous-style arts and crafts are popular souvenir items in Belém. Some of them, however, can create problems with customs when returning home. Import regulations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States strictly prohibit bringing endangered species (dead or alive) into those countries, and the fines can be hefty. Nonendangered wildlife and plant parts are also illegal to import, though there are some exceptions. Wooden and woven items, for example, are usually not a problem. Avoid headdresses and necklaces of macaw feathers and caiman teeth, and go for the Marajoara pottery and the tropical-fruit preserves (pack them carefully).
The main shopping street in Belém is Avenida Presidente Vargas, especially along the Praca da Republica. In addition, there are many boutiques and specialty shops in Nazaré.
A riverside town 18 km (11 miles) northeast of Belém, Icoaraci is a good place to buy marajoara pottery.
This town square is busy only on Sunday, when barracas (small shops) pop up to sell paintings, snacks, artisanal items, and regional foods. You can watch the action from a park bench while sipping a cold coconut or eating a slice of cupuaçú cake. It's a local favorite for morning family strolls.
São José Liberto is a combination museum and high-price jewelry and craft shops with Amazonian wares of gold, amethyst, and wood; pottery; and seeds and plant fibers.
To shop in air-conditioning, head for the upscale Shopping Patio Belém, a mall in the truest sense of the word. There are 198 stores, including four department stores with a bit of everything. The mall also includes a multiscreen cinema, banks, a food court, and currency-exchange shops.