The first known occupants of the region of the current municipality were the
Charrúa and
minuane indigenous. Then came Spanish Jesuits, then throughout the 19th century came Portuguese and Italian immigrants. In 1810, the political instability that would lead to the independence of the Spanish colonies in the
Platina Basin led to the arrival of Portuguese troops to the region, in order take advantage of the opportunity and extend their empire in areas of temperate weather so coveted by them. These troops, commanded by Diogo de Sousa, Count of Rio Pardo, founded the present city of Santana do Livramento, through the construction of a chapel dedicated to the homonymous saint. The permanent Portuguese settlement of the region began with the donation of sesmarias made by the Marquês of Alegrete in 1814. Founded the city on 30 July 1823, it was elevated to the category of municipality in 1857, emancipating itself from
Alegrete. The city went through periods of great prosperity, when large woolen mills, refrigerators, social organizations, and soccer clubs were emerging. Slowly, the economy has been fading for many reasons, among which can be cited: isolation (distance from other economic centers), centralist vision (in politics, industry, commerce, territorial organization), and an economic focus on agriculture and trade without emphasis on industrial development, which could have played a vital role as a "bridge" between those activities. In 1912, the city started the first train station in Brazil with international traffic, between Santana do Livramento and
Rivera,
Uruguay, with trains connecting
Rio de Janeiro and
São Paulo to
Montevideo and
Buenos Aires. Currently, the international train route is disabled. The area of the municipality located between the
Quaraí River and the Arroio Invernada (called the Rincão de Artigas) has been claimed by the government of Uruguay since 1934. == Geography ==