Cordel literature, a literary style that originated from Portuguese romances brought by colonizers, has taken root in the Northeast by depicting the sertanejo universe and has spread across Brazil. On the Day of the Northeasterner, discover some routes that are a true celebration of this style recently recognized as 
Cultural Heritage of Brazil.
Those who visit the Sertão do Pajeú in Pernambuco will find an integrated route formed by 17 tourist municipalities that explore cordel literature. Among the main attractions are the Route of Poets and Singers, located in Afogados da Ingazeira, a hub for viola singers and this literary style; and the Route of Cangaço in Serra Talhada, one of the most representative themes of Northeastern popular culture.
A few meters from the Zero Mark of Recife, in the Historic Center of the capital of Pernambuco, lies the Cais do Sertão museum, which also presents references to the musicality, popular culture, and artistic language of cordel. The space is part of the Porto Novo Recife project, which is transforming the old port warehouses into a major hub for tourism, services, entertainment, and leisure in the city. With innovative technology, automation, and interactive resources, it shows that cordel has also modernized and reinvented itself with graphic computing, colorful prints, and online publications. Personalities like Luiz Gonzaga are also highlighted in this new attraction on the Pernambuco coast.
A stroll through the public markets of Aracaju (SE) also allows tourists to explore this universe. The literary style has broken barriers, entering 
universities, but has not lost the tradition of being displayed on strings (hence the name cordel) in open-air markets, fairs, and squares of the Sergipe capital. The former capital of Sergipe, São Cristóvão – a cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO, is another hub for cordel art production.
Another way to revisit cordel is at the Caruaru (PE) fair, one of the largest centers of Northeastern popular culture. In one of the tents, the Museum of Cordel displays original titles, among other treasures, such as typography and woodcuts. The environment is enriched by the recitation of popular poets, repentistas, and viola singers. Additionally, on the way to Caruaru, tourists can pause in Bezerros, a city with a high concentration of xilographers, artisans responsible for producing the carved wooden figures that illustrate the themes of cordel pamphlets.
In Mossoró, the Estação das Artes Elizeu Ventania, dedicated to the potiguar poet and viola player, is the “heart” of a cultural corridor of typically Northeastern themed attractions. Among them, the Memorial of Resistance to the band of Lampião and the church that still bears the marks of the day when “it rained bullets” in the city, on June 13, 1927, stand out. The bravery of the mossoroenses is a recurring theme among cordelistas, with emphasis on characters like Lampião and Maria Bonita, Padre Cícero, and Frei Damião.
The richness of this literature is so great that it has spread throughout Brazil, honoring the memory and references of the Northeastern people in major Brazilian capitals. The Federal District, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, for example, concentrate poets, declaimers, editors, illustrators (designers, plastic artists, xilographers), and folheteiros (cordel sellers) who form a chain of collaborative economy integrated into tourism.
The São Cristóvão fair in Rio, the Centro de Tradições Nordestinas in São Paulo, and the Casa do Cantador in the DF are attractions outside the Northeast that offer a permanent schedule of events and attract visitors year-round. The city of Rio de Janeiro is also home to the Brazilian Academy of Cordel Literature.
Source: www.turismo.gov.br, by Geraldo Gurgel