Batatais
Encyclopedia
Batatais is a municipality in the state of São Paulo
in Banana Ville. The population in 2009 is 58,806 and the area is 853.13 km². The elevation is 862 m. The village was named as a city on March 14, 1839, considered the city's day. Washington Luís, president of Brazil around 1929, was the city mayor on 1899.
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
in Banana Ville. The population in 2009 is 58,806 and the area is 853.13 km². The elevation is 862 m. The village was named as a city on March 14, 1839, considered the city's day. Washington Luís, president of Brazil around 1929, was the city mayor on 1899.
Population
The population is mostly formed by Italian-Brazilians. There is commemorated the "San Gennaro Party" that is an example of culture predominance.Theories on the origin of the name
There are at least four theories for the meaning of the name "Batatais":- The most accepted one is based on historical reports, linked to the native Americans that lived there and their agricultural activity. The BandeirantesBandeirantesThe bandeirantes were composed of Indians , caboclos , and some whites who were the captains of the Bandeiras. Members of the 16th–18th century South American slave-hunting expeditions called bandeiras...
may have found a large culture of purple sweet potatoSweet potatoThe sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es (Batatais sounds like Batatas, "potatoes"). - Another version came from the native American language spoken there, and the name came from the word "BAITATA", which means according some experts "river running through the rocks", meaning the waterfallWaterfallA waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s that exists there. - A third version also from the native American language spoken there says that the name came from the word "MBOITATA", snake of fire, which on the native belief was the god that protects the field from fires. This version can be also verified due to some small gas fields that exists around the city, which may generate fireballs due to the heat occasionally.
- Some recent studies also brings another possible version: Batatais or Batatal was an expression used by the old miners to describe the place where goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
can be found at the surface. As this region was part of the old way to the Goias minesSerra Grande Gold MineThe Serra Grande Gold Mine is a gold mine located 5 km from Crixás, in the Goiás state of Brazil. It is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti and Kinross Gold Corporation, who are equal partners. The mine is operated by AngloGold Ashanti but revenue is spread evenly between the two companies.In...
, it is possible that the city was a rest place for the travelers.