Sorok-aba

Sorocaba stands on the river of the same name in the interior of São Paulo. Founded in 1654 by Baltazar Fernandes, the settlement grew into a major meeting place for drovers and merchants. Its position on the routes between southern pastures and the mining districts made it a centre of the mule trade, upon which much of inland transport depended.

In 1733 Cristóvão Pereira de Abreu brought a large drove of animals through Sorocaba along the route from the south. Traffic increased, and after a registration post was established near the river bridge around 1750, the passage of droves and the holding of mule fairs became regular features of the town. Traders bought animals for journeys to São Paulo and the mines of Minas Gerais. The crowds attracted by the fairs encouraged local commerce and crafts, while the animals carried goods and travellers over difficult inland roads.