Maragogipe is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

in the North-East region of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Maragogipe covers , and has a population of 44,793 with a population density of 110 inhabitants per square kilometer. Maragogipe is located from the state capital of Bahia, Salvador. It borders the

Paraguaçu River The Paraguaçu River () is a river in Bahia state, located in eastern Brazil. It runs from the Chapada Diamantina highlands of central Bahia to its mouth at the Baía de Todos os Santos. The Paraguaçu River is the largest river entirely within B ...

, upstream from

Baía de Todos os Santos The Bay of All Saints (), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding part of Bahia's capital Salva ...

. Maragogipe was a major center of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

production, and became home to large slave-holding plantations. After the

abolition of slavery in Brazil Slavery in Brazil began long before the first Portuguese settlement. Later, colonists were heavily dependent on indigenous labor during the initial phases of settlement to maintain the subsistence economy, and natives were often captured by ...

in 1888 the Afro-Brazilian population lived as tenant laborers until recently as "21st century slaves", unable to fish or grow staple crops. The municipality contains a large portion of the Baía do Iguape Marine Extractive Reserve, created in 2000. Maragogipe is home to an extensive system of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

s along the Paraguaçu and the Bay of Iguape. The Quilombo Salamina Putumuju, a

quilombo A ''quilombo'' (); from the Kimbundu word , ) is a Brazilian hinterland town, settlement founded by people of Afro-Brazilians, African origin, and others sometimes called Carabali. Most of the inhabitants of quilombos, called quilombolas, were ...

settlement of 200 people within the reserve, was recognized by the Palmares Cultural Foundation in December 2004.

Districts

Maragogipe is divided into six districts: *Maragogipe, the seat of the municipality *Coqueiros *Guaí *Guapira *Nagé *São Roque do Paraguaçu

History

The Amerindian population in the current Maragogipe area were called the ''Marag-gyp'', or warrior of "invincible arms". They lived a semi-nomadic life that included both farming and hunting. They were masters of the bow and arrow and in the use of the ''tarayra'', a heavy ironwood ax used for decapitation. The Portuguese explored the area as early as the 1520s, and invaded the early 16th century. They were attracted by the abundance of timber and easy maritime accessibility of the Paraguacu River and Bay of Iguape. Duarte da Costa (died 1560), the second governor of Brazil, granted his son Álvaro da Costa land on the Paraguaçu River region. The grant dates to January 16, 1557. The land became a captaincy on March 28, 1566. The indigenous population resisted the Portuguese; 200 members of the indigenous settlement were never subjugated. Numerous sugarcane plantation appeared in the region in the 1570s; the Portuguese also extracted timber and grew cassava. They also established sugar and flour mills. The peninsula that extends into the Paraguaçu River and Bay of Iguape, largely surrounded by mangroves, formed a strategic point to protect the Paraguaçu region; for this reason, a settlement was founded, later called Maragogipe. São Bartolomeu, a small parish, was established in the mid-17th century. It was separated from Ajuda de Jaguaripe, now the municipality of Jaugaripe, in 1724. A great drought occurred in the same year. The settlement was located at the mouth of the river where is opens to the Iguape, but moved in the mid-17th century to its current location on higher ground. The town served as one of many ports to facilitate commerce along the Paraguaçu; the settlement was on the busy transportation route between Cachoeira to the northeast and Salvador to the west. A town hall and prison appeared in the 18th century. King José I of Portugal bought the captaincy in 1733. Its population by 1759 was 5,684 among 886 homes. A roads inland to São Félix was built in 1807, and regular steamboat service connected Maragogipe and Salvador by 1839. Maragogipe was raised to city status in 1850.

Baía do Iguape Marine Extractive Reserve

Maragogipe contains 39% of the Baía do Iguape Marine Extractive Reserve, created in 2000. Maragogipe is home to an extensive system of

s along the Paraguaçu and the Bay of Iguape.

Protected sites

Maragogipe is home to numerous historic structures and

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...

terreiro Terreiro is a town and commune of Angola, located in the province of Cuanza Norte. See also * Communes of Angola The Communes of Angola () are administrative units in Angola after municipalities. The 163 municipalities of Angola are d ...

''s, or temples. Those protected by the federal government include: * Fort of Paraguassú (''Forte do Paraguassú'') * Parish Church of Saint Bartholomew (''Igreja Matriz de São Bartolomeu'') *

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(Paço Municipal) * São Roque Plantation and Chapel (''São Roque, Casa Grande e Capela) * Terreiro Banda Lecongo

Districts

History

Baía do Iguape Marine Extractive Reserve

Protected sites

References

See also