Early peoples and colonization The region on the left and right banks of the
São Francisco River, in western Bahia, where Paratinga is located, was inhabited by various indigenous populations, including the
Tamoios, Cataguás,
Xacriabás, Aricobés,
Tabajaras, Amoipira, Tupiná, Ocren, Sacragrinha, and
Tupinambás. In Paratinga specifically, it is believed that the Tuxás were the predominant indigenous group. The first records of Portuguese arrival in Paratinga date back to the 16th century, when
Duarte Coelho Pereira, the
donatary captain of
Pernambuco, visited the region during an exploratory expedition between 1543 and 1550. In 1553, King
John III ordered
Tomé de Sousa to explore the sources of the São Francisco River. The Spaniard Francisco Bruza Espinosa, residing in
Porto Seguro, led the expedition, which, according to scholars, may have reached
Bom Jesus da Lapa a year and a half after its start. However, there was no permanent occupation by
Luso-Brazilians. Colonization effectively began in the 17th century when the cattle rancher and landowner Antônio Guedes de Brito received land grants covering large areas of the Interior of Bahia, including the Paratinga region, forming his latifundium, the Casa da Ponte, which was the second largest in Colonial Brazil. Guedes de Brito, known for his exploration, was also responsible for the extinction of much of the indigenous population in the Middle São Francisco, enslaving the survivors. Due to the settlement and large cattle corrals, by the early 18th century, Paratinga became a strategic point for rest and passage of herdsmen traveling between the interior of
Minas Gerais and Bahia. Additionally, some of the cattle passing through were traded in
Goiás and
Mato Grosso. At that time, most farm owners were absent from their properties, allowing
slaves and other residents a degree of independence. In the owners' absence, specific individuals—free, enslaved, or
manumitted, of indigenous and Afro-Brazilian origin—performed administrative tasks, granting them a certain hierarchical authority over others. requested King
John V to create new parishes, outlined in 1712. In this context, over twenty settlements, including Urubu, gained prominence. Due to its growth and the presence of the Santo Antônio Parish Church, Sebastião In 1714, it had 362 households and inhabitants. On 23 March 1746, King John V, after consultation with the Overseas Council of the Portuguese court, ordered André de Melo e Castro, the Count of Galveias, to establish the Vila de Santo Antônio do Urubu, separated from
Jacobina. However, the village was only officially established on 27 September 1749 by the ombudsman Francisco Marcolino de Souza. and in 1819, the
sesmaria territories were registered and divided into six administrative districts named after the municipalities managing them. Besides Urubu,
Rio de Contas,
Rio Pardo,
Caetité,
Xique-Xique, and Jacobina were included. During the period leading up to
Brazilian independence, the Bahia province experienced political unrest. Rio de Contas, one of the main villages in the region, sought support from Caetité and Urubu to form a new province, encompassing Bahian and Minas Gerais territories, with Rio de Contas as the capital. The autonomy proposal, made in different years, caused tension between Rio de Contas and Caetité and, despite some regional impact, was not approved by the Crown. During the same period, in mid-1822 and 1823, Urubu residents produced a petition requesting a new ombudsman for the village, distrusting the incumbent. Francisco Pires de Almeida Freitas held the position at the time, and the population's distrust stemmed from his request to the Empire's minister to relocate the Justice and Registry Office from Urubu to the
Macaúbas settlement, mandated the transfer of the Justice and Registry Office to Macaúbas. The decision was reversed only in 1834, after numerous local protests and Macaúbas' emancipation from Urubu in 1832, becoming an independent village.
Imperial period During this period, Urubu underwent several changes and held prominence in the São Francisco region, mainly for centralizing local public power In terms of territorial extent, it was the largest municipality in Bahia. In 1827, the village bordered
Pilão Arcado to the north, Minas Gerais to the south,
Barra do Rio Grande and
Campo Largo to the west, and Santo Antônio da Jacobina, Rio de Contas, and Vila Nova do Príncipe e Santana de Caetité to the east. In this context, in 1830, Urubu received its first public school; on 2 May 1835, the
Comarca of Urubu was established to extend imperial government authority to the region. and faced growing regional challenges. From the following decade, cases of
banditry, such as
cangaço, posed challenges for the
comarca and nearby municipalities such as
Carinhanha and Minas Gerais cities such as
Januária. The perpetrators were diverse, including wealthy and poor men, slaves, priests, and even judges, driven by a desire to subvert the established order, leading to disputes over political power. Victims were typically poor free individuals, merchants, and public authorities. In the Bom Jesus settlement, part of the territory, disputes arose over control of the Bom Jesus da Lapa Brotherhood. The tense political climate in Urubu and western Bahia led to conflicts. A notable case occurred on 24 January 1849, when Antônio José Guimarães, a notorious local
cangaceiro and relative of public officials, left the area in ruins during a three-month action with a group of one hundred armed men, declaring himself governor of the region. His actions extended across several Bahian villages until he was killed in 1854 while fleeing in the province of Goiás. Additionally, in the 1850s, Bahia suffered a
cholera epidemic. In Urubu, around 1854, a type of "fever epidemic" was reported, described by doctors as a benign
bilious fever. Between 1857 and 1861, the region, like the entire province, faced a severe and concerning drought period, further weakening the slave trade and the fortunes of large landowners. Slavery continued until the
Lei Áurea was enacted, and before that, many were freed, while others were sold to owners in places such as Minas Gerais. In the final decades of the century, Urubu remained prominent for cattle trading and river transport. The proposal was not accepted, but the project has been revisited over centuries and remains a topic of discussion in Brazil today.
From the Republican period to the present day The establishment of the republic in Brazil led to the elevation of the village of Santo Antônio do Urubu to city status, named Urubu, on 25 June 1897, through State Law No. 177.
Ibotirama, formerly Bom Jardim, separated in 1958.
Sítio do Mato became part of Bom Jesus da Lapa after its emancipation and only became independent in 1989. The 20th century thus involved the decentralization of the political power Urubu previously held. The rural population, until the mid-1960s, relied solely on animal transport. In 1953, the district of Águas do Paulista was established, the only district besides the municipal seat. reached the area only in the 1990s. In 1980, Paratinga's airstrip was deactivated and transformed into a new neighborhood, partly becoming Rio Branco Avenue. Most of Paratinga's rural areas began receiving greater public investment from the 1990s. During this period, under various mayoral administrations, wells were installed in villages, roads were opened, schools were inaugurated, telecommunications networks were established, and electricity was expanded, becoming predominant only from the 2010s. The historically noted high social inequality and poverty in Paratinga have largely persisted. This is primarily due to land concentration, dependence on
public administration, and limited job opportunities, leading to emigration to urban centers. Another issue is droughts, which reduce natural resources. ==Geography==