Lavras

History

The presence of human groups in the territory of Lavras and its Immediate Geographic Region is attested through archaeological sites with records of ceramic artifacts linked to the Aratu tradition, dated between AD. (1200 and 800 years YBP). The history of Lavras dates back to the early 18th century, amid the fervor of Brazilian gold rush. Around 1720 or 1721, the Paulista explorer Francisco Bueno da Fonseca (c. 1670–1752) — notorious for leading a 1712 revolt against a Portuguese judge in São Paulo — arrived in the fertile region where the Capivari and Mortes rivers flow into the Grande river, accompanied by his sons and other settlers from the village of Santana de Parnaíba. Motivated by the pursuit of gold and the forging of new trails to the mines of Goiás, these pioneers established the hamlet of Sant'Ana das Lavras do Funil around 1729. The name “Lavras” stems from the abundant gold mining excavations (lavras) in the area. In 1737, Governor Martinho de Mendonça de Pina e Proença granted the settlers a sesmaria letter, formalizing their land occupation and fostering early agricultural and livestock activities. The influence of the Bueno da Fonseca family, holders of the title of capitão-mor, propelled the settlement’s swift growth. On 18 June 1759, Bartolomeu Bueno do Prado — grandson of the legendary bandeirante Anhanguera and son-in-law of Francisco Bueno da Fonseca — departed from the hamlet with a troop of 400 men, drawn from across the Captaincy of Minas Gerais, to dismantle the Quilombo do Campo Grande confederation. By 1760, the population had reached 1,000 inhabitants — twice that of nearby Carrancas — prompting the transfer of the parish seat to the more populous locale. In 1813, the hamlet was elevated to freguesia status upon its detachment from…

Geography

According to IBGE (2017), the municipality belongs to the Immediate Geographic Region of Lavras and the Intermediate Geographic Region of Varginha. The municipality is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del-Rei. Lavras has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) characterized by rainy summers and warm, dry winters.

Most-observed species

• Saffron Finch

  Sicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  270
• white-eyed conure

  Aratinga leucophthalma (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  218
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  193
• Toco Toucan

  Ramphastos toco P.L.S.Müller, 1776 · Aves
  178
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  176
• Red-legged Seriema

  Cariama cristata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  152
• Rufous-collared Sparrow

  Zonotrichia capensis (P.L.S.Müller, 1776) · Aves
  141
• Southern Caracara

  Caracara plancus (J.F.Miller, 1777) · Aves
  134