São José dos Pinhais

The wooded plateau south of Curitiba was known for its stands of araucaria, the pines that gave São José dos Pinhais its name. Gold in the rivers drew prospectors into the region during the seventeenth century, and a settlement called Arraial Grande emerged along the Arraial River. Around 1690 a chapel dedicated to Bom Jesus dos Perdões was established on a nearby estate.