Ubá

Ubá is a municipality located in the Zona da Mata mesoregion of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 290.88 kilometers (180.74 mi) southeast of Belo Horizonte, and 284.31 kilometers (176.66 mi) north of Rio de Janeiro. The estimated population of the city of Ubá was 116,797 in 2020. The current mayor of Ubá is Edson Teixeira Filho.

Once a great tobacco producer, Ubá has one of the main furniture industry parks in Brazil. The city is the economic and cultural center of Ubá microregion. It is also home of the famous Ubá mango (Manga Ubá).

History

Settlement

The Pomba River basin settlement took place, initially, due to the decline of mining activities. In the late 18th and early 19th century, several families left Mariana, Ouro Preto, and other mining centers in search of fertile land where they could undertake activities that would result in a more stable and secure incoming. The regions bathed by the Itajaí River, Chopotó River, Pomba River, among others, were of great interest because the land in those areas were of great fertility, and that they were previously inhabited only by natives (Coroados, Coropós and Purís) and adventurers.

The attempts of colonization of Coroados, Coropós, Purís and Botocudos always ended in bloody battles between the indigenous people and the colonizers. During the battles, using arrows and axes against firearms, the natives were gradually slaughtered or made prisoners for slave labor, especially when it comes to young people and women.