Cajazeiras

Frequently Asked Questions About Cajazeiras

Where is Cajazeiras located?

Cajazeiras is a municipality situated in the state of Paraíba, within the Northeast Region of Brazil. Geographic coordinates place the city at a latitude of -6.89028 and a longitude of -38.55528.

What is the population size of Cajazeiras?

The city has a recorded population of 63,239 residents. Administration of the municipality operates under the America/Fortaleza time zone, and transactions utilize the BRL currency.

How does daily movement connect to the city's origins?

Daily movement and settlement in the area trace back to its 18th-century origins as a colonial land grant. The locality expanded significantly around a school founded by Priest Inácio de Sousa Rolim in the 19th century. Student movement and family migration toward this educational center established the permanent community. Modern transport supporting daily movement includes the Pedro Vieira Moreira Airport.

How Does Daily Movement Shape Cajazeiras?

Cajazeiras is a municipality located in the state of Paraíba within the Northeast Region of Brazil. The city records a population of 63,239 residents and operates under the America/Fortaleza timezone.

Daily movement through the municipality relies on infrastructure developed over centuries. Transportation connections include the Pedro Vieira Moreira Airport, facilitating travel into the area. Regional mobility links residents across the local territory, which historically expanded following the growth of the original cattle farm established by Luiz Gomes de Albuquerque and the subsequent educational foundations set by Priest Inácio de Sousa Rolim in the nineteenth century.

Cajazeiras is a municipality located in the state of Paraíba within the Northeast Region of Brazil. Situated at coordinates -6.89028 latitude and -38.55528 longitude, the city operates within the America/Fortaleza time zone and supports a population of 63,239 residents.

How did colonial grants shape the initial land use?

The lands where the municipality now stands were initially distributed via a colonial land grant issued in the 18th century by Luiz Antônio Lemos Brito, governor of the Captaincy of Paraíba, to Francisco Gomes Brito and José Rodrigues da Fonseca. A portion of these lands was subsequently donated on February 7, 1767, to Luiz Gomes de Albuquerque, who established the Cajazeiras Farm. Ownership passed to his daughter, Ana Francisca de Albuquerque, following her marriage to Vital de Souza Rolim. Under their direction, the property evolved into a large cattle farm, anchored around 1804 by the construction of the Great House of the Farm and the Great Reservoir, which served water needs for livestock and the local population.

Who pioneered the educational growth of the settlement?

Inácio de Sousa Rolim, born at Sítio Serrote on August 22, 1800, to Ana and Vital, became a foundational figure in local history. Ordained as a priest in September 1825 at the Episcopal Palace of Olinda, Pernambuco, Priest Rolim established the Escolinha de Serraria in 1829. This small educational institution expanded significantly after 1833, drawing learners from both nearby and distant locations. Ana de Albuquerque erected a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy in 1836, which later became the Parish Church of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1843, Priest Rolim established a Salesian school, currently designated as Our Lady of Lourdes School. This school attracted numerous students, including Cícero Romão Batista from Crato, Ceará.

What milestones marked the institutional development of the municipality?

The expanding settlement surrounding the school system developed into the town of Cajazeiras, named for the cajazeira trees (Spondias lutea) populating the original farm. On August 29, 1859, Provincial Law 5 established Cajazeiras as a district under the municipality of Sousa. Governor Francisco de Araújo Lima sanctioned Provincial Law 92 on November 23, 1863, elevating the district to a village and separating it from Sousa to form a new municipality in the Province of Paraíba do Norte. The municipal government was installed on June 20, 1864, with Priest José Tomaz de Albuquerque acting as the first president of the local chamber. Provincial Law 616 elevated the village to city status on July 10, 1876. Territory was subsequently lost in 1885 when the district of São José de Piranhas formed a separate municipality.

How did religious administration and infrastructure advance during the twentieth century?

Pope Pius X issued the papal bull Maius Catholicae Religionis Incrementum on February 6, 1914, creating the Diocese of Cajazeiras. The Church of Our Lady of Mercy served as the new cathedral, welcoming its first bishop, Moisés Sizenando Coelho, on June 29, 1915. Amid severe Northeastern droughts in 1915, expansion works on the Açude Grande began, concluding on November 16, 1916. Transportation and utilities progressed with the arrival of the railroad in 1922 and the introduction of electricity in 1923. The first municipal election occurred on September 9, 1935, placing mayor Joaquim Gonçalves de Matos Rolim into office on December 14, 1935. Bishop Dom João da Mata laid the cornerstone for a new cathedral on January 31, 1937, which saw final completion in 1959.

How is the local cultural heritage preserved today?

August 22, commemorating the birth date of Father Rolim, was declared a municipal holiday in 1948. Demolition of the original Rolim family farm occurred in 1954 to construct the Cajazeiras Tennis Club, prompting local protests. Later territorial divisions separated the districts of Cachoeira dos Índios and Bom Jesus as independent municipalities, alongside the creation of the district of Divinópolis in 1979. The Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage of the State of Paraíba (IPHAEP) designated the Historic Center of Cajazeiras in 2003, formal recognition arriving through State Decree No. 25.140 on June 28, 2004. This designation encompasses twelve listed properties that preserve the heritage of Cajazeiras as the land that taught Paraíba to read.