Cataguases

The country later known as Nova Serrana lies in the upper São Francisco basin of Minas Gerais. A settlement emerged here in the eighteenth century, as prospectors sought precious metals in the interior. Cattle ranches already occupied much of the São Francisco valley, and farms and stopping places grew along the tracks connecting this country with the mining districts. The settlement became known as Cercado, after an enclosure used for travellers’ animals.