Piumhi

History

Until the 18th century, the present-day state of Minas Gerais was inhabited by various indigenous nations belonging to the Macro-Jê linguistic trunk. In 1731, the region was explored by the sertanista João Batista Maciel, who, originating from São Paulo, led an expedition searching for gold near the source of the São Francisco River. Maciel settled in Piraquara, on the right bank of the São Francisco River, within the jurisdiction of the town of Pitangui. That same year, he organised an expedition with his sons, associates, and enslaved people, exploring the Upper São Francisco and discovering gold panning sites along the Piuí River. Later in 1731, Maciel returned to Pitangui with news of the discovery of gold mines in the hinterland of Piuí. An immediate expedition was organised, led by the parish priest of Pitangui, Father Luís Damião, and the procurator of the town council, João Veloso Falcão. Maciel himself guided the group, which was large and aimed to claim ownership of the "land of Piui". They proceeded and took possession of the hinterlands. Father Damião celebrated Mass, considered the first celebrated in Piuí, in 1731, but the gold was not found in the expected abundance. Due to the disappointment, Batista Maciel was arrested as a fraudulent discoverer, accused of causing the significant expenses incurred by the expedition. However, two of his sons and several associates mutinied, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which the chamber procurator, João Veloso Falcão, was wounded in the arm. Free once again, Batista Maciel withdrew with his sons, associates, and enslaved people, relocating to Perdizes, along the São Francisco River, near what is now the city of Iguatama. Two other explorers, sertanistas, also have their efforts documented: Captain Tomás de…

Geography

Piumhi is located in the western mesoregion of the state of Minas Gerais (Central-West region), covering an area of 902 km2 at an altitude of 793 metres. It has a tropical climate, more precisely a tropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwa), with an average temperature of about 22 °C and Cerrado vegetation. It shares borders with the municipalities of Doresópolis, Bambuí, São Roque de Minas, Capitólio, Pimenta, Guapé, Pains, and Vargem Bonita. Road access to Piumhi is possible via highways MG-439, MG-354, and its main road, MG-050, which crosses the region and connects the capital Belo Horizonte to the Ribeirão Preto region in the state of São Paulo. Piumhi is located roughly halfway between these two metropolitan areas, being 256 kilometres from Belo Horizonte and 265 kilometres from Ribeirão Preto. Piumhi is predominantly flat but is surrounded from the northeast to the southeast by the Pimenta Range, which is the highest point in the municipality at 1,256 metres, along with the Andaime Range and its extensions. The Piumhi River was a tributary of the Rio Grande until the late 1950s and early 1960s. Its stream bed formed the Cururu Swamp, an extensive flooded area where the river's visible course blended with its larger floodplain. The region was characterised by large landholdings and was historically home to sharecroppers, tenants, and rural workers until 1955, when the government intervened with the construction of the Furnas Hydroelectric Plant, in the Rio Grande basin. This development significantly altered both the landscape and the social structure of the area. For the construction of the dam at the Furnas Hydroelectric Plant, a significant engineering project for the time, the Piumhi River was diverted from the Rio Grande basin to the São…

Most-observed species

• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  87
• Picazuro Pigeon

  Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck, 1813) · Aves
  86
• Saffron Finch

  Sicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  82
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  70
• white-eyed conure

  Aratinga leucophthalma (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  65
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  65
• blue-and-white swallow

  Notiochelidon cyanoleuca (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  64
• Rufous Hornero

  Furnarius rufus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  62