::: History :::

The landmark of its occupation begun in the year of 1531, when the expedition of Martin Alfonso de Souza, from the Captaincy of São Vicente (SP), left with its men to tame the hinterland in search of wealth, the group found a "mount of rock" in its way. It was the mount "Picu", that still today serves as reference for who arrives at the region. The town was called Pouso do Pico, then São Jose do Picu, São Jose de Itamonte until its emancipation of Baependi in December of 1938. Since then it passed to be called Itamonte (Rock of the Mount or Mountain of Rock in the Tupi language).

 

During many years, the city, that today has little more than 12 a thousand inhabitants, only served as "passage" for that, come from Rio De Janeiro or  São Paulo, they had as destination the “Circuit of Waters”, in the Southwest of Minas Gerais. But now has been instituted the “Circuit of High Lands of the Mantiqueira that is formed by nine cities (Alagoa, Delfim Moreira, Itanhandu, Marmelópolis, Passa Quatro, Pouso Alto, São Sebastião do Rio Verde, Virginia and Itamonte) being that this last account with 70% of the tourist points of the Circuit of High Lands of the Mantiqueira. It is for visiting its cities and usufructing of its natural beauties that the tourists transpose the mountain ranges of the Sea and the Mantiqueira, in an average passage of 250 km.

   

 Although the urban area of Itamonte has its enchantments, it is in its agricultural zone that if finds great attractives the natural ones: Itamonte belongs the APA (Area of Ambient Protection) of the Mantiqueira, the National Park of Itatiaia - located in the area highest of the Mountain range of the Mantiqueira, that it has Pico of the Black Needles, the 2791 meters, its culminating point. It is the first national park of Brazil, created in 1937 for Getúlio Vargas, who had a residence known as "Rock`s House". To have access to this place, Getúlio used the Brejo da Lapa for landing of its hydroplane. The first inhabitants of the region of Itatiaia, had been aboriginal of the Puri group that in its Itatiaia language means "rock full of tip"

In Itamonte there are hundreds of waterfalls: Conquista, Escorrega, Usina dos Braga and Fragária, beyond rapids for practical of canoe, acqua ride or acquatrekking . It fishes it of the trout rainbow, in the fly style (type of fishes with artificial lure where the ability demanded with the pole and the line suggests a dancing) can be made in the river Aiuruoca, in the region of the Fragária (a valley that makes verge with the National Park of Itatiaia and the State Park of  Pico do Papagaio). The Aiuruoca is so good as the Argentine or North American rivers. Itamonte already incorporated the ambient preservation to the tourist activities. A town council decree of 1977, supported for the private initiative, regulates the trouts fishes.

 

 

 

 

A curiosity in Itamonte is the mineral water that gushes out of the sources of the Garganta do Registro and in Engenho de Serra, where still exists a large house that sheltered Dom. Peter II, Conde d'Eu and the Isabel Princess, This road is nowadays called "Real Road". They had attended mass in the Chapel San Francisco de Assis in Itamonte. By the way in the one of these visits people of this locality celebrated the presence of the Isabel Princess with the sound of a band of music. The Princess noticed that, the piston was damaged and wanting to reward the homage gave to its proprietor another one that is still conserved.

Other neighborhood, as Monte Belo, Campo Redondo, Vargem Grande, Cachoeirinha, Serra Negra and Sobradinho, still keeps the traditions of the sewing presses, of “cachaça  (brazilian beverage)” manufactured in small stills, of the artesanato of straw and ceramics, beyond the beaten butter by hand and the manufacture of jellies and compotes of fruits. The sausage and the parmesan cheese are other typical products of the city. In the agricultural areas there are also sophisticated foods of high quality produced as champignons, or trouts in captivity, as well as diverse prescriptions with nuts (fruit of the Araucária).

 

The climate seems to have been brought for the Europeans: temperatures varying between 25º positive in the summer and 5º negative in the winter. The town council has an altitude varying between 970m and 2789m. The frosts are constant in June, July and August. The region is a gift in such a way for that they search only the calmness and the contemplation, as well as for the ecological, adventurous and the radical sports lovers.

 

The Legend of the mountain range that cries

 

Inpired for its natural beauties, its enchantments, dangers and mysteries, the Tupi indians turn in the Mountain range the Mantiqueira the tragic end of a love history. It counts the "Legend of the Mantiqueira" that a pretty warrior of the Tupi people was desired for all, but didn´t want anybody.

The princess loved the Sun, the Warrior of the Fire, that lived distant, in the sky, hunting for Tupã (Tupi name of the thunder, used for the Jesuit missionaries to call God). But, although it has resisted for some time, also the Warlike Sun finished losing to the enchantments of the pretty

princess. Day after day, the Sun "made noon" to heat his beloved. And they never had night again, for desperation of the Moon.

Jealously, the Moon counted to the Tupã about the forbidden love between the Sun

and the princess, a simple woman. As it counts to the play "the Fantastic Legend of Algures", to put an end on that love, Tupã raised an enormous mountain and there inside it locked up the

magic princess of the brave warlike tribe. The sun bleed setting and wanted to drown itself in the sea. The moon, with the pain of her beloved, cried myriads of stars and rivers of tears, and its waters until today run among mountains.

 Thus the Mantiqueira was born, "the mountain range that cries".

Fotos gentilmente cedidas por Mirela Thomaz.

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Rota Turismo

Rua Presidente Vargas, 455 - Centro - Itamonte-MG

Fone: (35)3363-3207