Piau 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 ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

in the Southeast 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 ...

History

At the end of the eighteenth century, those who had been involved in the

Inconfidência Mineira The (; "Minas Gerais Conspiracy") was an unsuccessful separatist movement in Colonial Brazil in 1789. It was the result of a confluence of external and internal causes. The external inspiration was the History of the United States (1776–1789 ...

were heavily persecuted by the Portuguese Crown. These men (among them was Francisco José da Silva, uncle of

Tiradentes Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (; 12 November 1746 – 21 April 1792), known as Tiradentes (), was a leading member of the Colonial Brazil, colonial Brazilian revolutionary movement known as the Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full i ...

) became fugitives searching for new places to make a new life. The place they found was set in a vast forest by a river which rises in the

Serra da Mantiqueira The Mantiqueira Mountains (Portuguese: ''Serra da Mantiqueira iterally: Mantiqueira Mountains Chain') are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. The name shows the range ...

. The settlers gave this river the name of Rio Piau because of a large amount of fish of this species (

leporinus ''Leporinus'' is a genus of fish in the family (biology), family Anostomidae native to South America. The fossil species ''Leporinus scalabrinii'', known from the late Miocene of Entre Ríos Province, Entre Ríos in Argentina, has only recently b ...

piau?). The first chapel was built in honour of the Holy Spirit, and the town was named ''Divino Espírito Santo de Piau''. In place of the old chapel there is now the parish church of the Holy Spirit. The District was created on July 22, 1868. belonging to the municipalities of

Ouro Preto Ouro Preto (, ), formerly Vila Rica (, ), is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The city, a former Brazilian Gold Rush, colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, was designated a ...

Barbacena Barbacena is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2020, the municipality had 138,204 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is . Barbacena is known for its strong Italian influence. The Rodrigo Silva Colonial Nucl ...

Mar de Espanha Mar de Espanha is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Minas Gerais This is a list of the municipalities in the States of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais ( ...

Rio Pomba Rio Pomba is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais founded on 25 December 1767. The population is 17,959 (2020 est.) in an area of 252 km2. The municipality is located at a mean elevation of 441 m. History In the 1700s, the ...

Juiz de Fora Juiz de Fora (; ), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 census the current population is 54 ...

São João Nepomuceno São João Nepomuceno is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the southeast of Minas Gerais, Brazil close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro. See also * List of municipalities in Minas Gerais References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao ...

and Rio Novo. On December 12, 1953 Piau became a municipality in its own right.

Tourism

The main attractions in this small municipality include the countryside, the church, old houses and farms, and since 1984 the banana festival which occurs annually in the second week of July.

Economy

The principal crop is banana and the greater part of the production is sold in Juiz de Fora and its locality.

References

Municipalities in Minas Gerais {{MinasGerais-geo-stub