Lavras

Lavras grew in southern Minas Gerais from a settlement founded by migrants from São Paulo in search of gold. Around 1720 Francisco Bueno da Fonseca and his companions established themselves near the Capivari and Rio Grande. By 1729 they had founded the settlement of Campos de Sant’Ana das Lavras do Funil. Alongside prospecting, they opened routes toward the mines of Goiás.