Batatais

History

The settlement became a town and an independent municipality on March 14, 1839, when it was separated from Franca. It became a city in 1875. Washington Luís, president of Brazil around 1929, was the city mayor in 1899. There are at least four theories for the meaning of the name "Batatais": *The most accepted one is based on historical reports, linked to the Native Americans that lived there and their agricultural activity. The Bandeirantes may have found a large culture of purple sweet potatoes (Batatais sounds like Batatas, "potatoes"). *Another version came from the Native American language spoken there, and the name came from the word "BAITATA", which means according to some experts "river running through the rocks", meaning the waterfalls that exists there. *A third version also from the Native American language spoken there says that the name came from the word "MBOITATA", snake of fire, which on the native belief was the god that protects the field from fires. This version can be also verified due to some small gas fields that exists around the city, which may generate fireballs due to the heat occasionally. *Some recent studies also brings another possible version: Batatais or Batatal was an expression used by the old miners to describe the place where gold can be found at the surface. As this region was part of the old way to the Goias mines, it is possible that the city was a rest place for the travelers.

Geography

The city has an area of . The elevation is 862 m. The city is in Brazil's sugarcane belt.

Most-observed species

• Picazuro Pigeon

  Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck, 1813) · Aves
  89
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  75
• Rufous-collared Sparrow

  Zonotrichia capensis (P.L.S.Müller, 1776) · Aves
  74
• Eared Dove

  Zenaida auriculata (Des Murs, 1847) · Aves
  72
• Southern Caracara

  Caracara plancus (J.F.Miller, 1777) · Aves
  71
• Ruddy Ground-Dove

  Columbina talpacoti (Temminck, 1810) · Aves
  66
• Saffron Finch

  Sicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  65