Granja Viana (commonly known as Granja, sometimes spelled as Granja Vianna) is a district in the city of Cotia, São Paulo , Brazil. Officially, the district is located in the north side of the city, but some portions of southern Carapicuíba, northern Embu and eastern Jandira are often referred to as Granja Viana as well. It can be accessed via the Raposo Tavares Highway.
Contents |
The history of Granja Viana begins with the Carapocuyba Ranch, which was divided into a large number of families. Niso Vianna (and the Vianna family) settled a rural property near the Raposo Tavares Highway, and built the Santo Antonio Chapel. He also built the first school of Granja Viana, which would be used to reduce the number of illiterate aduilts of the community, and also to reduce children labour. His property was dedicated to dairy farming.
In 1951, the several families who populated the region started to make residential condominiums out of their farms. This was the beginning of what today is known as Granja Viana. Niso also divided other areas into residential areas, and sold them as ranches to friends. For most of the 20th century, other residential areas were created, and from the early seventies, the first enclosed condominiums were settled. Nowadays, Granja Vianna is extensively used as a home to many people who work in São Paulo.
Granja Viana is home to the Granja Viana International Kart Circuit. Another important site is the Zu Lai Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Latin America.[1]