HISTÓRIA DE ARASSUAHY EM INGLÊS

Araçuaí - Minas Gerais - Brazil

 Date: 25/11/2008 Apolinario Moreira
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Photo Diary Jequi Walace Gö


The Municipality of Araçuaí is located in the northeast of Minas Gerais, in the Middle Jequitinhonha, at a distance of 678 km from Belo Horizonte.
Political emancipation took place on 21 September 1871 by virtue of Law No. 1870 with an area of ​​2326 km ², and also about 70 Rural Communities, limited to the north with the municipality of Coronel Murta, south to the of Novo Cruzeiro, the west with the municipality of Our Lady of Lapa, the east with the municipality of Karai.
Population according to the last Census:Population: about 40,000 inhabitantsMale Population: 17,207Female Population: 17,172source CEMIG/1996
County voters: 23,116 - Source: Electoral Registry
Main routes of communication in this municipality:BRS 367, 342 and 116, and the Airport Tanure Hider, with the following features: asphalt track measuring 1200x30 m, latitude 16 ° 51 'and longitude 42 ° 04'.
Main sources of wealth:Noteworthy are the Riches Minerals such as tin, feldspar, Mico, NEOBIO, Tantalum and Quartz.
The Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Trade and Crafts.Sources of income of the Municipality: ICMS, ISS, property tax, and FPM
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Araçuaí has ​​its history in two versions, follow them:
The history of the village dates back to Araçuaí Depth, founded by Father Carlos Pereira at the confluence of the rivers and Araçuaí Jequitinhonha where docked canoes that permutavam goods from Bahia with those produced in the region of Minas.
However, due to the large flow of canoeists appeared in many local women and, consequently, a small center of prostitution. Father Pereira's reaction was immediate, expelled all whores, not wanting in his village drinks and women of "easy life".
Seeing yourself in contingency leave the local women followed up Araçuaí river, finding shelter in Boa Vista ranch, owned by Luciana Teixeira, who gave up part of their land on the banks of the Brook and River Rock Araçuaí for women install themselves.Faced with this situation, the canoe moved from Porto, following the women and the place came a Arraial with name Rock. Around 1817, Luciana Teixeira started the one allotment, which would later become the City of Araçuaí.
With time Araçuaí been gaining importance and occupying the status of Capital of the Northeast of Minas.


Story Araçuaí - Leopoldo Pereira - Official Press
1907 - Leopoldo Pereira - 18/11/1868
Father Carlos Pereira de Moura had founded the vertex angles of confluence of Araçuaí Jequitinhonha and the Village of Depth. Splendid prospect, fertile land, the two great rivers, the cool of the valley, which overcomes the heat, easy access to canoes, a set of local qualities indicated that place for a city.
But Father Carlos was excessively authoritarian and demanding.
Laying the foundations of a future city, behaved as lord high and low justice, and one of its determinations that was not consented there harlots or alcoholic beverages.
The unfortunate women emigrated, and attracted to them canoemen changed port.
At that time owned the farm of Boa-Vista's Bar Rock an old mulatto named Luciana Teixeira, that A. Saint-Hilaire relates in his book of travels. This good woman gave shelter to the migrants in their spit lands on the right bank of the stream of the Rock and Araçuaí. Became this point arribada canoes that sailed up the Jequitinhonha.
Began there the city of Araçuaí. Although there are no houses of that time, and Major Carlos Freire but indigitou, and told me that followed the day to day progress of the city. The venerable old over 80 years old and his nephew, Colonel Ignatius Murta, I lot of historical information that these pages transmit to posterity.
The City of Araçuaí is founded at the confluence of the Rio del Rio Rock with Araçuaí, on the right bank of both. It is a long narrow plain between two high plateaus, the Piaui east and the west Tout, at an altitude of 314 meters, and the two plateaus, at small distances have the altitude of 700 meters.
The coordinates of the city taken by the Engineer Schnoor, are:
Latitude 16 º - 55 '- 35'
Eastern longitude (meridian of Rio de Janeiro), in time, 5 minutes and 21 seconds: arch 1 - 20 '- 8 ".
It is situated four leagues from the extreme south of the county and 60 away from the northern.
The streets are winding and narrow, showing that the foundation of the city did not follow a preconceived plan, and that it was extending the plain according to occasional needs.
The prospect is not pleasant. Because the view of any neighboring eminences, the city is in the valley a large reddish spot, because you only see the roofs.
The houses, almost all wood, are generally low and unsightly. The most notable buildings are: - the hospital-wide house modern taste good, not finished yet, having been murdered in Rio de Janeiro's founder, Colonel Gentil de Castro, who built his expense to give her his land natal - the chain where the camera works well and jury, old house and ungainly appearance, lately rebuilt, and the church-array, not completed yet.
The telegraph, the tax office, the mail group and school work in private homes.
The woods around are caatingas low, which in summer divest of all the foliage: there is also wide plains caked.
The Rio has Araçuaí the port city 130 meters wide, and is of great beauty in the curve that bathes the city, where he sometimes permeates overflows when a great flood. The Rock of Ribeirão runs only a few times a year. Above the town there is a beautiful island, which is opposite to a hill, where was the house of Luciana Teixeira.
The population may be estimated at 3,000 inhabitants, but the entire surrounding region is occupied by small houses of farmers.
The climate is warm, dry and healthy.
The foundation of the city of Araçuaí to be fixed between the years 1830 and 1840. In 1851 the parish of Rock was spun off from the city of Minas Novas and elevated to a village, and in 1871 the city, the forum being installed in the same year by Dr. Pedro Pereira Fernandes Correa. The first mayor was Col. Carlos da Cunha Peixoto.
City progressed remarkably in population and commerce within a few years, then to the peak of its development Jequitinhonha navigation.
In 1894, the Normal School was installed, which lasted 10 years.
In 1875 appeared the first number of the North Mine, periodic written by Father Pedro Celestino Rodrigues Chaves.
After this the city had another newspaper, the Arassuahy, government agency, municipal, and lately The Commercio, who edits yet.
The school group works since 1907, and the hospital with bad accommodation, for not completed yet, since its founding in 1894.
Araçuaí, however, despite its resources, will never be a great city, at least a modern city. Are you missing key elements to this.
One of them is water. The great river that lard is very low and, with the slope of 1 per 1,000, you can not turn their water for the needs of a large population center, and in the vicinity there is no permanent water sources.
Navigation is by canoes, can be said, and extinguished the two great rivers are not navigable steam. Also the area of ​​the forest, which is progressing, attract all immigration to the detriment of catingas whose center is Araçuaí.
Araçuaí
Rock was the name of the camp in the 1830s began to form in the plain between the plateau of Piauí and the Tout, where the bar is unstable Calhauzinho caudeloso Araçuaí River, leaving the camp on the right bank of both.
Rock called the gravel and smooth stones rounded by the stream of water from streams. With this gravel driveways are still some streets of the old town as well possible to him that "luxury" is his first name. But whatever, still using the name "Rock", though already in 1857, when the spot was created village, had changed its name to Arassuahy that with fashion turned Arassuahy spelling, and lately Araçuaí.
They say it means: the Macaws Rio Grandes. Others explain it would be: Great River of headdresses. In 1871 that village came to a city.
The settlement arose spontaneously by the agglomeration of canoeists Jequitinhonha seeking to meet with dealers of the interior to exchange cargo, dangerous journey in a few weeks, brought the sea: salt, coconuts, foreign goods imported through Rio de Janeiro and Savior, to exchange them for cotton, cloth and blankets thick, spun in the São Domingos, and other products of the hinterland. Those sailors had tried dock and sign up on a site across the river, a league below in "Bar Depth" at the confluence of Araçuaí with wider Jequitinhonha.
For a long time there was a river port (cabotage only canoes) in Jequitinhonha one further up the Depth in Tocoiós that for a regular path was linked to Minas Novas and all that region renowned gold and diamond miners and adventurers . But after the heyday of the gold and ending the ease of money in that area, the staff had to think of other resources. Rio Araçuaí below had good land for farming and grazing. Risking conflict with the Indians there found the means of subsistence, "Christians" have invaded the forests of Setúbal and Gravesend, the Rock and Piauí, all tributaries on the right bank of the Araçuaí.
The molded depth of the bar of the two great rivers would be the appropriate place for it. Although not yet exist at the top, the colonial church with its two towers, dedicated to the Lord of the Good Life (spoke: Boa Viagem), the topography of the place, inviting rowers, the bowman, passengers disembark to tie and after painful journey of so many days on the river with its dangers and pitfalls of waterfalls. There would be a good center for doing business with residents of the vallate both rivers, Saint Dominic (Virgin Lapa) of Sucuriú (Badaró Francisco) and new lands around.
But Depth was owned by the Vicar of St. Dominic, Fr Carlos Freire Pereira de Moura, belonging to the nobility of the region plunged into those wilds for being implicated in the conspiracy of the Conspirators. The Don Carlos is the same who was later appointed bishop of Mariana, but before it died on the sacred journey.
He was a devout and exemplary priest, who did not admit on his farm, with commercial movement, a trade carnal.
For the whereabouts of many men, still half wild should also provoke the accommodation of many harlots. A large part of the river sailors were machacalis the Farranchos botocudos and ill-tamed the Seventh Division of San Miguel (Jequitinhonha). We therefore unscrupulous and adds much to the vices of drinking, fighting and trespass. So Father Carlos did not allow neither whores nor cachaçada in Depth.
The legend of Luciana Teixeira, would founder of Rock, is tenacious, repeated a thousand times, yet in 1979 the newspaper "Minas" (January 10). It is an interpretation poorly made, popular, absurd, of a news journal of the celebrated French traveler August Saint-Hilaire, who in 1917, on the feast of Pentecost went and stayed in the house that old and pious matron, the same day that also a priest was there visiting. This had traveled nine leagues and should be of the parish of dirty water (Beryl): the vicar visiting his people in the celebration of the Divine.
Saint-Hilaire writes: "I put the housing Boa Vista, perhaps the most pleasantly situated between all that so far seen.'s Built on the summit of an isolated hill, beneath which slowly slide the clear waters of Araçuaí .. . "
"Boa Vista was the abode of an old mulatto named LUCIANA TEIXEIRA. Having known that I was traveling with a passport from the government, this good woman showered me with attention and putting it almost on my knees, I wanted to hug the thighs, but understands though refused similar kindness. spent in Boa Vista the day of Pentecost. A priest arrive there, coming from nine leagues away and all the settlers in the neighborhood had gathered in the room with the children and grandchildren of my host to watch the service divine. Such good people dined at her house. Same table was set and unmade several times and who thereafter found not to have eaten enough, dinner anyway. "
That farm "Boa Vista", Luciana, was then a place of religious personnel, orderly and law. Incidentally, this also suggests that her full name found in the old parish registers, Luciana Teixeira Lages, a family estimated at the present day. Continuing his journey, after leaving her ranch - so still writes Saint-Hilaire - shortly after I crossed the creek's Rock, where they are gems, and it launches in Araçuaí. No mention, however, no word about a town that "Calhauzinho". And it would even be possible, since the camp was formed ten years or more after 1817, and not in "Boa Vista" Luciana, but few miles below. The name Luciana was connected later to the origin of the camp because of that primitive time in this zone is no other name was kept. The conversation of the people undertook then to invent the "story".
However, it may be that a "defendant class of boatmen and turbulent class of boatmen" - so the historian Araçuaí Leopoldo Pereira appreciates the founders of Rock - has invaded a nook and occupied a large portion of the farm that Luciana had the riverside and it is no longer installed. The question is, is around 1830 she was still living. In any case, never follow or spread that nonsense that Luciana Teixeira was founder of Araçuaí.
What Father Carlos feared for his quiet headland, Calhauzinho happened in the bar, the "Rock": the "vice of origin" of Araçuaí ... With the opening of the road shooting the movement of buses and trucks replaced the navigation of the river, canoeists and left only the memory of the characteristic statue in the main square.
Araçuaí until 1911 was the capital of the entire Northeast of Minas. According to a 1890 statistical Araçuaí had 23,298 km2. With this size was the fifth municipality of Minas after Januaria Paracatu Montes Claros and Teófilo Otoni.
She occupied the fourth place in the statistical number of traders in the mining municipalities. After New Bridge (331), Muriahe (302) and Belo Horizonte (289) Araçuaí had 261 traders.
The municipality had 11 major districts: Araçuaí São Domingos do Araçuaí (Virgin Lapa), Santa Rita do Araçuaí (Medina), Comers, St. Anthony of Itinga, San Miguel Jequitinhonha, St. Peter Jequitinhonha, Bom Jesus Hustle, Good Jesus Depth, Salto Grande, São João da Vigia. But in 1911 the city of Jequitinhonha inherited half of that world, and then several other villages were declared independent. Today Araçuaí has ​​2,326 km2. By opening a paint years ago, the great artery of the Federation, the Rio-Bahia, passing some 75 km away from the city center of the old North has lost much of its importance.
Source: City of Araçuaí http://www.aracuai.mg.gov.br/