Araxá |
The city’s name comes from an indian tribe - Araxás - which existed in the west of
Minas Gerais. In tupi-guarani dialect, the Word means "place where sun is seen first". The indians of Araxás tribe fist made contact
with europeans still during the 16th century and stopped the occupation for several decades.
However, the resistance lasted only to the end of the 18th century,
since in 1759, explorer Bartolomeu Bueno do Prado decimated the tribe. The first residents arrived to the region between 1770 e 1780, after the
decadence of the gold exploration in the neighbor settlements.
In 1791, Freguesia de São Domingos do Araxá was created, growing from the first
matrix church, concluded in 1800. In 1820, Church São Sebastião was constructed. At that time, the location was becoming famous by the soil
fertility and water purity. Araxá becomes a village in 1831 and subsequently, in 1865, receives the title of city.
It was in Araxá that Dona Beja was born, illustrious character of the region’s
history. When she was still an adolescent, young Anna Jacintha de São José became court of ouvidor real Joaquim Inácio Silveira Motta. She lived
surrounded by luxury and slaves, besides being considered one of the most powerful and respected negotiators of the city.
According to the legend, she liked to take shower in the waterfalls around the city
and the mineral water in which she bathed could be the secret of her beauty. Actually, the house of Dona Beja houses a museum, created in 1965
by Assis Chateaubriand. |
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