Itapecerica (Minas Gerais) Itapecerica is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. Located in the center-west of the state, it had a population of 21,377 inhabitants according to the 2010 census. In addition to the headquarters, the municipality has three urban districts, Lamounier, Marilândia and Neolândia, and an extensive rural area with about seventy villages, such as: Afonsos, Barreiro, Bom Sucesso, Bocaina, Cafofo, Casa Queimada, Capivara, Chaves, Córrego Fundo, Gama, Gonçalves Ferreira, Inácio Caetano, Lameus, Serra dos Gomes, Santo Antônio, Serra dos Lopes, Taquara, Palmeiras, Partidário, Pedra Preta, Vendinha among others. History The history of Itapecerica dates back to gold exploration in the 17th century, a period in which many prospectors ventured into the Brazilian hinterland in search of precious metals, with the Captaincy of Goiás as their final destination. The region of the municipality, located between São João Del Rey and this captaincy, was a resting point for adventurers and had several trails (paths opened through the forest by adventurers), which is why it became known at the time as the Conquista do Campo Grande da Picada de Goiás. The founding explorer was Lourenço Castanho de Taques, who arrived in the Itapecerica Valley region in 1696. In the 18th century, with the arrival of explorer Feliciano Cardoso de Camargo, with the intention of exploring minerals in the region, the location ceased to be just a transit point and began to attract explorers who ended up forming a camp. The region had proven to be rich in gold, attracting the interest of the Vila de São Jóse Del Rey, which in 1744 took possession of the village, which received the name of São Bento. The first recognized authorities were: Captain Vicente Ferreira da Costa, Notary Miguel da Costa, Judge Vintenário Joaquim Pereira and the Clerk Manoel da Silva Gral. The first parish was created in 1757, under the command of Vicar Gaspar Alves Gondim, who, due to his popularity, was responsible for attracting many faithful to the region and for the beginning of the city's religious tradition. The village was elevated to a village on November 20, 1789, by order of the Viscount of Barbacena, then governor of Minas Gerais. This became the date of the city's foundation and anniversary. In 1790, the pillory was erected and the first Town Council was elected, with the following members: Domingos Rodrigues Gondim, Bel. João Pinto Caldeira, Antônio Garcia de Melo, José Joaquim Carneiro, José Ferreira Gomes and Antônio Joaquim de Ávila. On October 4, 1862, the village was elevated to the status of municipality, becoming known as São Bento do Tamanduá. This name remained until 1882, when on October 19, it became Itapecerica, which in Tupi-Guarani means “Smooth and Slippery Stone”.[9] Geography It is 180 km away from Belo Horizonte, being part of the geopolitical microregion of Formiga. The main access routes are the paved highways: MG-164 and MG-260. Rail access is via the Barra do Paraopeba Line, of the old Oeste de Minas Railroad. The section, which connects the municipality to the district of Aureliano Mourão, in the city of Bom Sucesso and originally with a gauge of 0.76 cm, was converted to metric gauge in the 1960s, under the command of the former Viação Férrea Centro-Oeste. Currently, the railroad is granted to Ferrovia Centro Atlântica for cargo transportation.[10] It is a large municipality, with a total area of ​​1,040.419 km², according to IBGE data from 2016, of which 75% of the territory is predominantly mountainous, with the city located at an altitude of 853 m. The highest point is Morro do Calado, located in Serra do Barreiro, with an altitude of 1,187 m.[11] The vegetation is composed of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, being part of the Pará River basin. #itapecerica #luckmototrip #vstrom