Bagé

Etymology

There are several theories as to the origins of the name of Bagé. One states that there was an indigenous chieftain in the region called Ibajé, although the existence of this chifetain has never been proven. A more accepted theory is that the name comes from the indigenous language and is related to the idea of "hills". The local amerindians called the hills "mbaiê".

History

Because of its location on the shortest route between Porto Alegre and Montevideo, Bagé has played an important role in the history of Brazil and the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its lands have been sought after by Amerindians, the Portuguese and the Spanish. Important events of the Cisplatine and Ragamuffin Wars and also the Federalist Revolution happened in the city.

The first contact between the local Amerindians (Charruas) and the Spanish occurred in the second half of the seventeenth century when the Jesuits established a mission called Redução de Santo André dos Guenoas, in 1683.

In 1773, the governor of Buenos Aires, Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo, left the region of the River Plate to expel the Portuguese from Rio Grande do Sul with 5,000 men. Upon arriving in the area he asked Bernardo Lecocq to build the Fort of Santa Tecla, of which there are still ruins. The fort was surrounded by a ditch 9 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep, with a 3-meter-high (9.8 ft) wall. This fort was sacked twice, the first time in 1776 when Rafael Pinto Bandeira invaded and expelled the Spanish. After signing the First Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777 a Spanish garrison again occupied the fort now at the border between the two empires.

In 1801, the Spanish abandoned all their advanced posts, including Fort Santa Tecla, which was, for the second time, demolished. The territory was once again Portuguese.

In 1810, some of the Spanish colonies broke free from the motherland. In 1811 the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Diogo de Sousa (later Count of Rio Pardo), concentrated a large force on the borderlands, fearing military action on the part of the newly formed neighboring republics. A camp was set up near "Cerros de Bagé", site where the city of Bagé is now located. On 17 July 1811 Sousa left with his troops to invade the Banda Oriental (present-day Uruguay) to conquer it and annex all the territory leaving the Uruguay River as a new border between Argentina and Brazil, some camp followers who could not keep up with the movement of the troops founded the present-day city. The date for the foundation of Bagé, 17 July 1811, was officially agreed on in 1963.

The settlement began to grow spreading out around the square called Praça da Matriz. In 1820 a simple church was built to house the image of the patron saint of the town, Saint Sebastian.

Economy

The economy is based on services, light industry and agriculture. Transformation industries employed 2,460 workers in 2006 while there were 1,199 agricultural establishments on 300,000 hectares employing 3,500 workers. There were 319,000 head of cattle and 103,000 head of sheep in 2007. The main crops were rice, corn, soybeans, sorghum, and wheat.

Geography

Location

Bagé is located 374 km (232 mi) southwest of the state capital, Porto Alegre, and approximately 60 km (37 mi) north of the border with Uruguay at Aceguá. The distance to Pelotas to the east on BR-293 is 180 km (110 mi). Other distances from Bagé are:

Santana do Livramento: 170 km (110 mi)

Jaguarão: 196 km (122 mi)

Santa Maria: 250 km (160 mi)

Comandante Gustavo Kraemer International Airport serves the city and the region although currently no scheduled flights operate to and from it.

Climate

At an elevation of 242 meters above sea level just south of latitude 30° Bagé has a mild climate with maximum temperatures of 30 °C in January and 17 °C in June and minimum temperatures of 18 °C in January and 8 °C in June. Rainfall is spread out throughout the year with a maximum of 140.9 mm in July and a minimum of 103.1 mm in April.

On 24 June 1918, Bagé registered a minimum temperature of −7.3 °C (19 °F), and on 13 January 2022, the city registered the highest temperature record, of 41.7 °C (107 °F). In winter, light snow flurries or sleet are quite rare, but can occur sometimes. Frosts are common and occur regularly during the winter.

Health and education

In 2005 there were 32 health establishments of which 3 were hospitals. These hospitals offered 251 beds. In the education sector there were 18,000 students in 71 primary schools, 5,896 students in 14 middle schools, 1,931 students in 77 pre-primary schools. In addition there were 3,595 students in one private college.

Local attractions

Bagé has several local area attractions for visitors and locals. The Dom Diogo de Souza Museum in Bagé displays cultural and historical artifacts from the city and surrounding region. The museum opened in September, 1956. Some items displayed include historic currency, religious artifacts, historic documents, and a collection of nearly 100,000 photographs. The museum is frequented by more than 8,000 visitors annually.

The historic center of Santa Thereza was founded around the turn of the 19th century. This local attraction and village originally housed factory workers for Bagé. Santa Thereza is known for its symmetrical housing structures, clean alleyways, and terraced ground. Multiple cathedrals including Paróquia Nossa Senhora da Conceição and Catedral de São Sebastião are also recognized as attraction landmarks for visitors.

Consular representation

Uruguay has a Consulate in Bagé.

Notable people

Marina Rodriguez (fighter), (MMA Fighter)

André Luís Garcia

Carlos Kluwe

Sylvia Martins, painter

Emílio Garrastazu Médici (President of Brazil)

Cláudio Ibrahim Vaz Leal, better known as Branco (footballer)

Dener Assunção Braz, (footballer)