Balsa Nova is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Paraná in the Southern Region of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It has a population of 13,092 and covers . Balsa Nova borders the municipalities of

Araucária Araucária is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Paraná (state), Paraná. The population in 2020 was 146,214 inhabitants. History The first movement of the white man in today Araucaria Brazil, dating back to the year 1668,period in which ...

, Campo Largo,

Contenda Contenda is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the states of Brazil, state of Paraná (state), Paraná in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil. *Named Potato Capital after the Emperor D. Pedro II visit Lapa City, at 1880. ár ...

, Lapa, Palmeira and Porto Amazonas, all in the east of the state of Paraná.

History

Balsa Nova was settled by Carajó people, an

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast-based subgroup of the

Guaraní people Guarani are a group of culturally-related indigenous peoples of South America. They are distinguished from the related Tupi people, Tupi by their use of the Guarani language. The traditional range of the Guarani people is in present-day Paraguay b ...

, prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. The Carajó used the present-day area of Balsa Nova along the Iguaçu as an outpost. The area served as a crossing ground for cattle drovers moving livestock and goods to the south of Brazil. The Sierra of São Luiz do Purunã provided an open area for cattle. The first settlement in the area dates to 1702, and the Capela Nossa Senhora do Carmo, later known as the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Tamunduá, was built in 1709. The area was referred to variously as Rodeio, Rodeiozinho, or Rodeio Grande; all are references to cattle farming. The settlers in the late 18th century started farms along the Iguaçu for their cattle and crop irrigation. The small settlement was isolated and lacked road or rail connections to other areas of Paraná. Crossing the Iguaçu was only canoe. Galdino Chaves received permission from the federal government in 1884 to build a ferry crossing, which he constructed at Ana Chaves. The first ferry was of weak construction and was destroyed in a flood. Chaves received funding from the government to build a secure ferry in 1891, this time a modern ferry aided by a steel cable. The new ferry became both a success and a landmark, and the area became known as Balsa Nova,

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

for "new ferry." The new ferry and the opening of the railroad in Paraná spurred the export of timber and

yerba mate Yerba mate or yerba-maté (''Ilex paraguariensis''; from Spanish ; pt, erva-mate, or ; gn, ka'a, ) is a plant species of the holly genus ''Ilex'' native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leave ...

from Balsa Nova. The town was named João Eugênio in 1938, but returned to the name Balsa Nova in 1954 as a district of Campo Largo. Balsa Nova separated from Campo Largo on November 4, 1961, and became an independent municipality.

Districts

Balsa Nova is divided into three districts: Balsa Nova (the city seat), Bugre, and São Luiz do Purunã.

Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

The Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (''Chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception'') is the oldest structure in Balsa Nova. It was constructed between 1727 and 1730 by Captain Antônio Tigre. Tigre had requested an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The image arrived in Brazil and was housed in Curitiba and moved to the chapel at its opening in 1730. The chapel fell into ruins and the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was transferred to Palmeira in 1837. The structure is a protected heritage site of the State of Paraná.

References

{{Municipalities of Paraná Municipalities in Paraná

History

Districts

Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

See also

References