Piranguinho
Encyclopedia
Piranguinho is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais
in the Southeast region
of Brazil
.
It lies on the Sapucaí river valley, with mild to moderate temperatures during the year.
Although historians say that the coffee production was the solely activity responsible for the sudden development, it is well known that the Brazilian economy during this time faced a deep diversification on its activities. Then these activities were driven to supply the country internal needs. Therefore these products can be also considered as one of the factors that lead to Brazil's modernization.
As a way to build up an infrastructure to support the Brazil's growth, railroads were constructed throughout all the country, then improving the communication and transport systems.
As a direct result of these actions, many parts of Minas Gerais had the political, social, and economic boundaries expanded considerably.
The estate at that time was property of Baroness Leocádia de Lourenço. It was subordinated to São Caetano da Vargem Grande (currently Brazópolis).
Later on the estate became an region of interest by the authorities responsible to develop the project for various railroads in Minas Gerais, called "Rede Mineira de Viação".
Such contract sought the construction of a railroad connecting the cities of Itajubá
and Santa Rita do Sapucaí
. Besides these two cities, the railroad should be also connected to other nodes within Minas Gerais.
At that time, all the region had rich resources, necessary to the railroad construction. Hardwoods such as native brazilian Jacarandá, Jequitibá, Taiúva, Pereira were available and in abundance.
Then a deal was closed among the interest parties. The Baroness was responsible to lumber and provide the railroad sleepers necessary to the construction, work-force, to build up a
water-powered sawmill (Portuguese: Engenho
) to process the wood, rectify the Ribeirão dos Porcos course, and lastly manage all the infrastructure.
It is believed that the railroad construction started earlier in the 1880s. The increased demand for workers had attracted to the region a considerable number of people. This way, many wood and pau-a-pique
homes were settled around the sawmill. Then a small community had started.
Note: When leaving or arriving Piranguinho towards MG-295, please watch out for the photo enforced radar installed on the city urban boundary. The speed limit is 40 km/h (24.8 Mph).
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
in the Southeast region
Southeast Region, Brazil
The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are three richest states of Brazil,...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
It lies on the Sapucaí river valley, with mild to moderate temperatures during the year.
History
Piranguinho's history resembles late in 19th century, when Brazil lived as an Empire, ruled by D. Pedro II. The country at that time had a great economic growth, due to the Coffee Cycle. This milestone can be remembered as the Southern part of Brazil received a lot of investments.Although historians say that the coffee production was the solely activity responsible for the sudden development, it is well known that the Brazilian economy during this time faced a deep diversification on its activities. Then these activities were driven to supply the country internal needs. Therefore these products can be also considered as one of the factors that lead to Brazil's modernization.
As a way to build up an infrastructure to support the Brazil's growth, railroads were constructed throughout all the country, then improving the communication and transport systems.
As a direct result of these actions, many parts of Minas Gerais had the political, social, and economic boundaries expanded considerably.
The estate at that time was property of Baroness Leocádia de Lourenço. It was subordinated to São Caetano da Vargem Grande (currently Brazópolis).
Later on the estate became an region of interest by the authorities responsible to develop the project for various railroads in Minas Gerais, called "Rede Mineira de Viação".
Such contract sought the construction of a railroad connecting the cities of Itajubá
Itajubá
Itajubá is a city and municipality in southeastern Minas Gerais state of the Federative Republic of Brazil.It lies in a valley by the Sapucaí river and has terrain elevations ranging from 827 to 1500 metres, occupying an area of 290.45 km2 , with a population of approximately 86,000 people...
and Santa Rita do Sapucaí
Santa Rita do Sapucaí
Santa Rita do Sapucai is a little town situated in the southeast of the State of Minas Gerais.The city is known as the "Electronic valley", since it has plenty of electronic industries, and both a technical school and a college which hold courses in electronic knowledge...
. Besides these two cities, the railroad should be also connected to other nodes within Minas Gerais.
At that time, all the region had rich resources, necessary to the railroad construction. Hardwoods such as native brazilian Jacarandá, Jequitibá, Taiúva, Pereira were available and in abundance.
Then a deal was closed among the interest parties. The Baroness was responsible to lumber and provide the railroad sleepers necessary to the construction, work-force, to build up a
water-powered sawmill (Portuguese: Engenho
Engenho
Engenho is a colonial-era Portuguese term for a cane sugar mill and the associated facilities. The word engenho usually only referred to the mill, but it could also describe the area as a whole including land, a mill, the people who farmed and who had a knowledge of sugar production, and a crop of...
) to process the wood, rectify the Ribeirão dos Porcos course, and lastly manage all the infrastructure.
It is believed that the railroad construction started earlier in the 1880s. The increased demand for workers had attracted to the region a considerable number of people. This way, many wood and pau-a-pique
homes were settled around the sawmill. Then a small community had started.
Transportation
Piranguinho can count on the following roads that divides the city into sectors:- BR-459 (In Portuguese)
- MG-295 (In Portuguese)
Note: When leaving or arriving Piranguinho towards MG-295, please watch out for the photo enforced radar installed on the city urban boundary. The speed limit is 40 km/h (24.8 Mph).
Culture
The city is known in Brazil as the Brazilian National Capital of Pé-de-Moleque. Besides the gastronomy, Piranguinho has the following annual events:- Rodeo at CRR (Centro Regional de Rodeio Paulo Max) that takes place in the 1st and 2nd half of each year
- Santa Efigênia's party (Catholic party that happens in July - The patron saint of Piranguinho)
- World's Biggest Pé-de-Moleque