Pilar do Sul

Pilar do Sul is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The elevation is 689 m. The population in 2010 is 26,411.^[1] The area is 682,395 km².

History

The history of Pilar do Sul city began in 1850, when drovers, hunters and miners passed through the region to search precious metals. Many families from the state of Minas Gerais came to the town and they usually went to a place where had stones that they using to pestle the meat, one of the reasons for the city be called Pilar (word in Portuguese that means “to pestle”). That stones also were used for tanning leather of hunted animals. Another reason narrated about of the city’s name is because of the religiosity of that Minas Gerais’ families, who had great devotion to Our Lady of Pilar, a Spanish Santa.

In 1865, Lieutenant Almeida acquired an allotment in the region and brought slaves to build a farm and after that, he built a small chapel in honor of Bom Jesus do Bomfim, which he was devoted. In 1868, the lieutenant gave the land to the Diocese of Sorocaba. In 1877, João Batista Ribeiro, with permission of the bishop at the time, founded the town of Pilar, rising the town to the category of parish, by a providential law. On May 12, 1891, through a decree, the town became a municipality, and on 20th of the same month was installed a stewardship and Eusebio de Moraes Cunha was named as the first mayor of Pilar.

The city had encountered difficulties to get developed during the twentieth century. The poor roads and the little growth of agriculture had caused stagnation and resulted the loss of political autonomy, becoming the town a district of Piedade city, in 1934. On November 5, 1936, Pilar regained its autonomy and has returned to a town. In March of the following year, Eugenio Theodoro Sobrinho took office as first elected mayor. In the same year, the House of Councilors passed a law that gave away lands to all who wanted to build buildings of any kind. In 1944, the city changed its name to “Pilar do Sul”. Currently, Pilar do Sul grows every year, giving greater emphasis to agricultural development that is responsible for 70% of the municipal economy. The tourism potential is evident in many aspects as a new boost for the city’s economy which is known as the “Spring of Waters”.

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