Velho Airão
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Velho Airão or Airão Velho is an almost uninhabited town in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Originally called Airão, it was founded in 1694 on the banks of the
Negro River In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...
and became a medium-sized settlement. It is located within the Mosaic of the Lower Rio Negro in the
Rio Negro State Park North Section The Rio Negro State Park North Section () is a state park in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. It protects an area of Amazon rainforest to the west of the Rio Negro. Location The Rio Negro State Park North Section is in the municipality of Novo Ai ...
and is the former headquarters of the municipality of
Novo Airão Novo Airão (or New Airão) is a municipality located in the state of Amazonas in northern Brazil on the Rio Negro River about 180 km upstream of Manaus. Its population was 19,928 (2020) and its area is 37,771 km2. The town is acce ...
.


History

Founded in 1694, Airão was the first settlement established by the Portuguese in the
north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
of Brazil. It is located 180 km from
Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...
, the capital of Amazonas. In the beginning, missionary priests lived in the area, relying mainly on hunting and fishing. For the first 200 years, Airão was a poor town, but the situation improved during the rubber cycle. Between 1879 and 1912, the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
experienced a major latex exploration, which transformed the region into a hotspot for politicians and other countries. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Allied countries used Brazilian latex to manufacture tires and surgical materials. At the time, large houses were built using materials imported directly from Portugal. Airão gathered rubber production from the Upper Negro River, the Jaú River and its tributaries, and the
Branco River The Branco River (; Engl: ''White River'') is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north. Basin The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion. It is enriched by many streams from the Tepui highlands which separat ...
, transporting production from villages near Boa Vista. In 1945, after the end of the war, the British started buying latex from their colony in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. Airão, as a collection and distribution point, went bankrupt. Part of the population moved to villages closer to Manaus, but most were relocated to Itapeaçu, which was renamed Novo Airão. In 1985, the last resident left. From 1985, the
Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
started using the site as a target for firing practices by its ships until 2005, when the town was listed as a landmark by the
National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register an ...
(IPHAN). Since 2005, around seven families have moved back to the area, establishing their homes around the ruins and helping to guide tourists who visit the old village. Shigeru Nakayama, a Japanese man who arrived in Brazil in the 1960s along with the influx of Japanese immigrants, is the only person who still lives in the area.


See also

* History of Amazonas


References

{{Portal bar, Brazil, Geography, History Geography of Amazonas (Brazilian state) Geography of Amazonas Region Former towns Populated places established in 1694