Três Corações

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Três Corações is a city in the south of Minas Gerais state in Brazil. Founded in 1760, the city has a population of about 70,000 and covers 826.0 km². The elevation is 864 m and the postal code is 37410-000. The geographical coordinates are: Latitude - 21º 42’00’’ S and Longitude - 45º 15’30’’W.Gr.

Municipal boundaries:

-North - Varginha and Carmo da Cachoeira -South - Conceição do Rio Verde and Cambuquira -East - São Bento Abade and São Tomé das Letras -West - Campanha and Monsenhor Paulo.

Distances:

Belo Horizonte - 287 Km Varginha - 30 km São Lourenço - 66 km Juiz de Fora - 272 Km Pouso Alegre – 109 km São Paulo - 295 Km

The municipality is watered by the following rivers: Verde, Peixe, Palmela, Lambari, besides several streams. The great reservoir of Furnas is located to the northwest at a distance of about 40 km. The important interstate highway, the BR 381 (Rodovia Fernão Dias) is located at a distance of 8 km.

Cattle raising plays an important role in the economy, with both dairy and beef cattle being represented. The main agricultural products are coffee, corn, potatoes, beans, rice, and regional fruits. The main natural resource (mineral) is the São Tomé stone, which is used in civil construction.

There are light industries producing toys, highway signs, fertilizers, leather, milk products, steel wheels for cars, aluminum wheels, copper wires, and animal food among others.

The city has one university maintained by local authorities: Universidade Vale do Rio Verde (UNINCOR, which offers courses in several areas, especially in dentistry).

Três Corações is the birthplace of football legend Pelé and there is a statue of the legend there.

[edit] History

By the year 1760, the Portuguese Tomé Martins da Costa had settled on the banks of the Verde River to explore gold. After some years he built a big farm and started the construction of the "Santíssimos Corações de Jesus, Maria e José" (Joseph, Mary and Jesus's holy hearts) chapel.

In 1764 the Minas Gerais governor, D. Luiz Lobo Diogo Silva, visited Tomé M. Costa and noticed some small houses near by.

In 1790, Captain Domingos Dias de Barros, Tomé's son in law, built a bigger chapel on the site where the old one stood.

So the village has been known as Três Corações (Three Hearts in Portuguese) because of the name of the chapel (hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph).

That is the political and official history. There is also the popular history that says there were 3 women who lived in Três Corações. They were very "popular" and every cowboy who passed by the region fell in love with them.

There is also the explanation that the river that passes through the city forms the shape of 3 hearts along its course.