Aratu

Aratu lies near the upper Paranaíba in the highlands of Minas Gerais. A lagoon frequented by ducks gave shelter to drovers travelling through the interior in the eighteenth century. In 1770 a grant of land to Manoel Afonso Pereira marked one stage in the Portuguese occupation of the district. Streams including the Córrego Rico and the Ribeirão da Mata feed the Paranaíba as it makes its way towards the Paraná.