A route was firstly mentioned in 1774 in a letter written by a lieutenant called José Peixoto da Silva Braga, with the track of the route. In that time, the lieutenant joined to the group of Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva (nicknamed as
Anhanguera), a famous
bandeirante who explored the backlands of Brazil to look for
precious stones. A dirt road between
São Paulo city and
Campinas was opened, and afterwards reaching the
state of Goiás, receiving the name of "Caminho dos Goyazes" (in English: Goyazes road). This road served the
cattle troops and voyagers who explored the backlands for
gold,
precious stones and
slaves, and after transported goods to small villages that were built along the road. The construction of a new road was started in 1914, based on the old Anhanguera's road. A group of 84
forced labor prisoners, paved 32 km of the track between
São Paulo and
Campinas. After some years, the prisoners were changed by employees to continue the construction and extend the road to northern regions of the
state of São Paulo. A new highway was then officially inaugurated in the 1940s, with different track, between São Paulo and Campinas. It was the first modern,
asphalt-paved, four-lane highway in the country, named then as Anhanguera Highway.
Anhanguera was the name given by native indigenous people to the
bandeirante explorer of the 16th century,
Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, who impressed them with tricks of setting fire to a plate full of
cachaça, a Brazilian alcoholic drink.
Anhanguera in the indigenous
Tupi language means "old devil". The name of the new and modern highway was given to honor this
bandeirante explorer, responsible by creating the old route and extending the territorial limits of Brazil. ==Features==