Cidade de Goiás |
In the beginning of the 18th century, the region where the city of Goiás
is located now, also known as “Goiás Velho”, started to receive its first inhabitants. Many explorers from São Paulo migrated to the place,
motivated by the discovery of gold and soon created settlements close to the rivers where the metal was explored.
One of the villages that flourished the most were “Arraial de Sant'Ana”, created at
the margins of Vermelho River, in 1722, by Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, popular known as “Anhangüera”. In 1736, the small settlement received the
name of “Vila Boa de Goiás”, and soon it became the seat of “Capitania das Minas de Goiás”. The name was chosen to honor the “Goyaz“ indian tribe,
who lived there before the arrival of the settlers.
In the 19th century, the gold exploration started to decay and its
people passed to do mostly agricultural and cattle breeding activities. Even with the reduction of the population, “Vila Boa de Goiás” was always
culturally syntonized with what happened at Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the Empire.
The main constructions of the city are from that period. “Cidade de Goiás” remained
as capital of the State of Goiás until the decade of 1930, when Goiânia was then built. It’s the city in the State of Goiás with the biggest
number of constructions protected by IPHAN, besides having the title of “Mankind Historic Patrimony” granted in 2001 by UNESCO. Among the important
personalities that were born at “Cidade de Goiás” are sculptor Veiga Valle and poetess Cora Coralina. |
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