Andrelândia is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais that is located in the Mesoregion of South and Southwest of Minas and hosts the Microregion of Andrelândia. It is 300 km away from the state capital, Belo Horizonte and occupies an area of approximately 1 005 km2. In 2014 its population was estimated at 12 507 inhabitants, being the 296th most populous municipality in the state of Minas Gerais and the second of its microregion.
It was founded on July 20, 1868, under the name Vila Bela do Turvo and consisted of five districts: Turvo, Arantes, Bom Jardim, Madre de Deus do Rio Grande and San Vicente Ferrer. Over the years the districts turned into cities, leaving only Andrelândia only the municipal seat. Throughout its history, the municipality had several denominations but has had its current name since state law 1160, of September 19, 1930.
The city has a great tradition in tourism and many of its old houses are considered historical municipal patrimonies. Other highlights are the religious festivals, such as the Feast of Saint Sebastian, the Feast of Kings, the Holy Week, the Feast of San Benedict, Corpus Christi and the feast of the patron saint, Our Lady of Porto, in August.
The city is known for being the hometown of the internationally known professor, historian, and academic José Murilo de Carvalho.
Etymology It was renamed Vila Bela do Turvo, its first name, when it was elevated to the category of village by provincial law No. 1191 of July 27, 1864. It was elevated to the status of city, with the name Turvo, on July 20, 1868. Two years later, by provincial law No. 1644 of September 13, the municipality of Turvo was renamed Porto do Turvo. By state law No. 2 of September 14, 1891, the municipality of Porto do Turvo was renamed again as Turvo. By state law No. 556 of August 30, 1911, the then district of Nossa Senhora da Piedade do Rio Grande (belonging to Andrelândia) was renamed Arantes.
After state law nº 1 160, of September 19, 1930, the municipality of Turvo was renamed Andrelândia, the name that prevails today. Its toponymy is in honor of farmer André da Silveira, who was one of the first to settle in the region. André's concern was to establish a place of worship for the development of the city and its population, which culminated in the current municipality of Andrelândia.
History
Colonization and Development The beginning of the colonization of European origin in the region of the current city of Andrelândia was a consequence of the gold exploitation in the south of the state of Minas Gerais. In the mid-eighteenth century, the region where the city is today was already fully populated by explorers who came to the region in search of fortune.
Around 1740, the population flow in the region increased considerably. Many people demarcated an extension of wasteland, settled there and later took care of the legalization of possession through the granting of a letter of sesmaria, which was given by the governor of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais. The "Congonhal" region, which extends over a large area of fertile land on the right bank of the Turvo Grande River and received this name due to the abundance of trees, was one of the most populated areas.
In 1749, the farmer André da Silveira, feeling the need for religious assistance, asked the Bishop of Mariana for permission to build a church dedicated to Our Lady of Porto in the place called Turvo Pequeno. Heeded by the ecclesiastical authority, the chapel was built, receiving the Catholic blessing in 1755. Around the small temple, many houses were built, and soon the Arraial do Turvo, primitive name of the settlement, was formed. After the construction of the chapel, in 1827, the Arraial do Turvo was already in conditions to be elevated to parish, which in fact occurred, having, from then on, a progressive growth, until it was transformed into a village in 1864, by law nº 1.191 of July 27 of this year.
Ethnic Development In the ethnic aspect, the population of Andrelândia has not suffered much miscegenation. A large part of the city has Portuguese ancestry, due to the first inhabitants who came along with the bandeirantes from São Paulo and founded the old farms, the first habitational centers, from which the city was born. The closest indigenous tribe was found farther south in Minas Gerais, in the region surrounding the springs of the Verde and Baependi rivers, near the Papagaio Mountain, around 1700. However, it was only between the 19th and 20th centuries that the first foreigners began to arrive in Andrelândia, mostly Lebanese who came to Brazil in search of wealth. Besides the foreigners who arrived and integrated the population of Andrelândia, many other families, from other cities and regions of Brazil, were also attracted by the riches of the place. From Italy came the D'Alessandro and Rivelli families; from Spain, Laredo, Casas Martins, and Garrido, and from Portugal, Gaspar and Pereira. Almost all of them were motivated by the construction of the West of Minas Railroad, inaugurated on June 14, 1914, or were tempted to progress with the benefits resulting from its operation.
There was a small group of people in the city, mainly of European origin, who frequented the market of Andrelândia in the early twentieth century and who, as attested by the elders, were the first street sellers of the current city. These people lived in a region not far from the town, called Congonhal, near the Bandeira Mountain, and for this reason they were called Congonheiras. They traveled around the city selling the harvest of their small crops and were known for not accepting the jobs that were offered to them. The Congonheiros still exist, and in much larger numbers, but they have diversified their way of life: they lost the distinction that marginalized them and many moved to the city. They married into other families, learned and dedicated themselves to the most varied trades and professions.
Administrative evolution There was one detail missing to elevate the village to the status of municipality. According to the legislation in force, this could only happen if the population founded, with its own resources, the building of the public jail and the town hall. Then, with the collaboration of Antônio Belfort de Arantes and his son, Antônio Belfort Ribeiro de Arantes, the works could be executed and the small village was raised to the category of municipality on October 21, 1866. On July 20, 1868, the emancipation of Andrelândia took place officially, under the name of Turvo, by provincial law no. 1518.
Under state law No. 2 of September 14, 1891 the district of Nossa Senhora da Piedade do Rio Grande was created and attached to the then municipality of Turvo. By state law No. 556 of August 30, 1911, the district of Nossa Senhora da Piedade do Rio Grande was renamed Arantes, having then five districts: Turvo, Arantes, Bom Jardim, Madre de Deus do Rio Grande and São Vicente Ferrer. By state law No. 843 of September 7, 1923, the Madre de Deus do Rio Grande district was renamed Cianita and Senhor do Bom Jesus do Jardim was renamed Bom Jardim. By State Law No. 148, of December 17, 1938, the district of São Vicente Ferrer was dismembered from Andrelândia and raised to the category of municipality under the name of Francisco Sales. Under the same law, the district of Bom Jardim de Minas was dismembered from the municipality of Andrelândia, and became a municipality with the same name. By law No. 1039 of December 12, 1953, the districts of Arantes and Cianita were dismembered and elevated to the category of municipalities with the names, respectively, Piedade do Rio Grande and Madre de Deus de Minas, remaining until today only the municipal seat.
Economic Growth
In 1982, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) verified that there were 71 commercial establishments in the city. This was quite a considerable number for a city of low income and low consumption. Considering the momentum of the first three decades of the 20th century, the city lost in productive activity and monetary circulation, both in the urban and rural areas, due to the rural exodus that, consequently, decreased the labor force that is very difficult in this rugged and hard to reach region. With the low value of production and the high price of seeds and inputs, a natural consequence of a government policy that was not interested in the small producer, the man from the countryside was forced to abandon his work and look for the big urban centers, where he hoped to find some kind of work to maintain himself, or end up increasing the rate of unemployed, underemployed, slum dwellers, hungry, and even criminals.
Another event that marked and still reflects the history of the municipal economy is the fact that many industries installed at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century disappeared, without any plausible explanation. However, the commercial movement in Andrelândia has developed considerably, especially since the early 1990s, which was a visible sign of the city's economic growth and modernization.
Recent History With the growth of Andrelândia and nearby cities, the Microregion of Andrelândia was created, gathering, besides the municipality, twelve other cities: Aiuruoca, Arantina, Bocaina de Minas, Bom Jardim de Minas, Carvalhos, Cruzília, Liberdade, Minduri, Passa Vinte, São Vicente de Minas, Seritinga and Serranos. In 2006 its population was estimated at 75,631 inhabitants, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, in a total area of 5,034.106 km2. Its Human Development Index (HDI) was 0.740 and the GDP per capita was R$3,796.46 in 2003. It is located in the Mesoregion of South and Southwest of Minas Gerais.
Currently, the town has been standing out in its tourism, with many of its old houses built in the 17th and 18th centuries becoming part of the town's historical heritage. Many of its squares and churches also preserve the baroque style from the time of the clearing of the region. Besides this, Andrelândia has also been developing its rural tourism, where the main attractions are the old farms, many from the 18th century.
Geography
The geography of Andrelândia is homogeneous, with an undulating relief and Atlantic vegetation. The area of the municipality is 1,004.536 km2, which represents 0.1713% of the Minas Gerais territory, 0.1087% of the area of the Southeast region of Brazil and 0.0118% of the whole Brazilian territory. The relief of Andrelândia is very rugged, corresponding geomorphologically to the Desiccated Plateau of the Upper Rio Grande, the Compartment of the Mantiqueira Mountains and the Aiuruoca River Depression, in the so-called Southern Minas Plateau. The confluence of its waters to the Rio Grande is defined between the north-left slope of the Mantiqueira Mountains range and the south of the municipality. The maximum altitude is 1 535 m. at Natureza Mountains and the minimum altitude is 934 m at Aiuruoca River; the headquarters is at an altitude of 1 000 m. In the municipality, the relief varies between hilly and undulating, where about 20% of the territory is flat, 20% of the land is hilly, and the remaining 60% is a sea of hills and mountains.