Goiás is a municipality in the state of Goiás in Brazil. Its population was 22,916 and its area is 3,108 km². It is the former capital of the state and preserves much of its colonial heritage. In 2002, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It used to be the old state capital of Goiás up until 1937 when the government seat was transferred to the then-recently built Goiânia. It was founded by the famed Bandeirante explorer Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, nicknamed the Anhangüera, and was called in colonial times Vila Boa de Goyaz. Given its historical importance, the historical center of Goiás was included on the UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2001.
Districts: Calcilândia, Buenolândia, Davidópolis, São João e Uvá. *Povoado : São João da Lajinha.
Aglomerados : Areias and Ferreiro
Distances
Goiânia : 148 km
Aruanã : 178 km
Brasília : 307 km
Access can be made by highways GO-070 / Goianira / Inhumas / Itaberaí / BR-070.
Geography
The topography of the municipality is characterized by rugged terrain and several rivers. The Serra Dourada Mountains are nearby. The municipality contains part of the Serra Dourada State Park, created in 2003. Waterfalls and rapids are easily accessible from the center and several of them have beaches open to the public. The most important are:
Balneário Cachoeira Grande, 6 km from the city
Balneário Santo Antônio, 6 km from the city
Balneário Bacalhau, at the entrance to the city
Rivers that cross the municipality are:
Rio Vermelho, Urú, do Peixe, Ferreira and Índio
Political data
Eligible voters: 17,813
Mayor: Prof. Selma de Oliveira Bastos Pires
Vice-mayor: Pastor Marcia Cristina Parreira Santos
The economy of the region is dependent on tourism, cattle raising, and agriculture. The cattle population consisted of 241,000. The main agricultural products were bananas, oranges, hearts of palm, rice, beans, corn, soybeans and wheat.
Goiás Velho was founded in 1727, its name being a tribute to the Goyaz Indians, the inhabitants of the area before the arrival of the Europeans. Its houses, chapels and churches are testimony to the height of the gold rush era. The history of the town, which is intertwined with the history of Goiás state, and certain reminders of the wealth of past centuries carved in gold, can be seen in places such as the Museu das Bandeiras, built in 1761; the Colégio Sant'Ana, founded in 1879 by Dominican friars; the church of Nossa Senhora d'Abadia, constructed in 1790, with its altar painted in blue and gold; and the Casa da Fundição, dating from 1752, where the gold from the mines was cast. Surrounded by the Serra Dourada, Goiás Velho is the native city of the poet Ana Lins dos Guimarães Peixoto Bretas, better known as Cora Coralina. Although she started writing at 14 yearsof age, she published her first book when she was 75. In order to survive, she made and sold crystallised sweets. The house where she lived, one of the oldest in the city, dating from 1782, has become a museum, containing her furniture, personal possessions, documents and letters from illustrious correspondents such as the poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade and the Bahian writer Jorge Amado, one of the main representatives of the literature of the North East region and one of the most widely read Brazilian authors both inside and outside the country.
Festivals
In Goiás, one of the most popular festivals is the Procession of the Fogaréu, which occurs on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday. It is one of the most traditional events of Holy Week in Brazil and only in Angra dos Reis is a similar procession celebrated. During the ceremony the farricocos simulate Jesus' arrest by the Roman soldiers by running through the streets of the town at midnight with torches to the sound of drums. There is a great resemblance with some traditions that take place in Spain at the same time of year especially in Toledo and Sevilla. The darkness, the torches, and the speed of the men with covered faces create a medieval atmosphere. It was believed that the devil was loose in the streets of the town on that night, frightening all, especially the children. Originally, only men could participate but today that has changed. Superstitions like the presence of a werewolf and a headless mule are also manifested in this popular festival. Tourists come from far and wide to witness the spectacle. In 2006, according to the a newspaper from Goiânia, 10,000 tourists came to watch the procession. For photos see and . Another notable festival that happens yearly in the town is the FICA. The goal of FICA is to promote, screen and award prizes to short, medium and feature-length films, in the animation, fiction or documentary genres, that address environmental themes, as well as to promote actions in production and education in the film and environmental fields. Every year the festival attracts tourists from all over the world.
