Its History

Curitiba was born from the native population and the Portuguese immigrants, on the first plateau of the State of Paraná, at an altitude of 934 meters above sea level. Its name comes from the language of the Guarani Indians and means pine grove. The name refers to the predominance of "pinheiro-do-Paraná" (Paraná araucarias) in its territory.

Curitiba's "birth certificate" dates back to March 29th, 1693, when its City Council was founded. At the end of the 17th century, Curitiba presented an agriculture of subsistence and its economic activities were based mainly on mineral extraction.

The next economic cycle in the region was based on the "tropeiros": cattle drivers who traveled with their herds from "Viamão", in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, to the fair in "Sorocaba", in the state of São Paulo. From there, the herds were then taken to the state of Minas Gerais. The cattle drivers would spend winter periods in the middle of the journey, in the "campos de Curitiba" (fields of Curitiba), and these campsites that were set up would only be dismantled when the cold season gave way to spring. These cattle drivers would take advantage of their stay to carry out business and by doing so, they led Curitiba to become an important intermediary trading post.

Many other features are also due to the cycle of the cattle drives, which lasted for more than two centuries: the use of maté to produce a bitter type of drink called "chimarrão" (which was consumed hot, while the beverage tererê consumed by the natives was made with cold water), the custom of wearing wool ponchos, the roast meat, the bonfires that led to circles of men, their story-telling and many tall tales, the characteristic accent, pronouncing Es so clearly in phrases that have come to identify the accent (leitE quentE  -- meaning hot milk -- with clearly pronounced "E"s and "T"s), the opening of new paths and the creation of settlements.

Two other economic cycles were happening practically simultaneously in the history of Curitiba: the cycles of maté and of wood. This expansion, at the end of the 19th century, stimulated the construction of the "Paranaguá-Curitiba" railroad, this being the first link between the capital of the then called Province of Paraná and the coast. Having been built in five years (from 1880 to 1885), this railroad represents one of the greatest works in national engineering, made possible thanks to the engineers and brothers Antonio and André Rebouças. Man labor of immigrants was heavily used: for these had come in great waves since the middle of the 18th century.

Curitiba benefited during the beginning of the 20th century, from the wealth that came from the maté mills. The owners of these mills, known as "barões da erva-mate" ("the Barons of Maté"), built residential mansions in the capital, which have been preserved, to a large extent, in two important areas, in the districts of "Batel" and "Alto da Glória."

The next economic cycle was that of the monoculture of coffee, which made cities crop up in the northern region of the State of Paraná, having an evident impact on the capital's economy.

Suffering the relentless effects of bad weather, coffee crops were gradually substituted by soybean. Finally, coffee crops were completely wiped out in the worst frost ever, that known as the Black Frost of July, 1975.

The mechanized agriculture of soybean crops drove agricultural workers off of the land. Curitiba received great waves of immigrants. The city had to make swift decisions in order to avoid urban chaos and to foresee future demands. Curitiba invested in urban planning and in city management focused on the dwellers, that is, on the 1,587,315 inhabitants of the city, according to the Census of 2000.

The cycle of cattle drives lasted for more than two centuries. With it came many cultural features now inherent in the Paraná region, especially the characteristic accent marked by the phrase ´leitE quentE´ and its clearly pronounced "E"s and "T"s.