VIANA - MARANHÃO: Conheça as belezas da cidade dos lagos

Viana is a Brazilian municipality located in the Baixada Maranhense region of the state of Maranhão. The population of Viana, Maranhão, is 51,442, according to the 2022 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) census, spread across an area of ​​1,166.745 km². Viana is the fourth oldest city in Maranhão and originated in the Guajajara village of Maracu, which began to be settled by missionaries of the Society of Jesus in 1683. History The region was inhabited by Guajajara Indians at the time of the arrival of Europeans. In the second half of the 17th century, the Jesuits founded the Mission of Conceição de Maracu, relocating a number of Indians from the village of Itaqui to that location. However, it appears that it was only at the beginning of the following century that the priests of the Society of Jesus settled in the region, building a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception at the end of "a spur of dry land that juts out between the lagoon and one of its coves." There is also evidence of gold mining operations along the Turi River. The Jesuit priests were later joined, under the auspices of the public administration, by some Portuguese settlers who, accompanied by a large number of black slaves, settled in the village center and elsewhere, dedicating themselves to commerce and agriculture. Town On July 8, 1757, the town was created, under the name of Viana, by the governor of the Captaincy, Gonçalo Pereira Lobato e Sousa, who attended accompanied by other authorities. On behalf of the Portuguese government, the governor took possession of the town and all its belongings, according to the list presented to him by Father Manuel das Neves, a missionary of the Society of Jesus who administered the former village, assisted by Father José Rancone, acting as attorney for his college. The same governor granted the town, on October 30, 1759, a league of land as a square for its patrimony. As compensation, because the donation was partially marshy, it would later be granted a new portion of land, adjacent to the former patrimony. Also in 1759, the Portuguese Crown granted 14,500 hectares of land to the Gamela Indians as a sesmaria.[5] In 1768, Governor Joaquim de Melo e Póvoas, reporting to the Portuguese Crown on his trip to the interior of the Captaincy, reported having visited Viana and found its situation excellent. He found a "good church, a sufficient town hall, and a strong jail." He visited the school, which "was very well staffed with boys," some of whom "write well." According to the governor's testimony, the village had good houses, though all thatched, and a good brickworks. He ordered that houses under construction and those to be built in the future be roofed with tiles, with residents helping each other. Having had a parish since 1757, when the temporal and secular jurisdiction of the regular missionaries who administered the Mission ceased, the village began to receive spiritual assistance from vicars appointed by the bishopric. In 1820, the town had a large square, five streets, and some alleys, with 137 dwellings and 843 souls, including approximately 400 domesticated Indians. Elevation to city status Provincial Law No. 377 of June 30, 1855, elevated the town to city status. According to the territorial division in effect on January 1, 1958, the municipality consists of only one district, that of the same name.