Itaqui

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Itaqui is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, located near the Argentinian border, by the Uruguay River, in the southwestern part of the state, between Uruguaiana and São Borja. Its altitude is 187 feet (57 meters).

Its approximate resident population is 41,900 (2004 est.)

Sundown at Uruguai River seen from the Port of Itaqui/RS

Flag of Itaqui City

Blazon

Old Map of the State

1 Geography and Politics
2 History
3 Arts
4 Economy
5 Artists and Famous Persons from Itaqui, Around The World
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Geography and Politics

Itaqui
State	Rio Grande do Sul
Emancipation:	6 December 1858
Area:	3,406 km²
Population:	41,902 (Estimate: 2004)
Inhabitant Denom.:	Itaquiense / Gaúcho
City’s Patron Saint:	Saint Patrick
Height:	57 m (187 feet) above sea level
Geographic location:	29°07′S 56°33′W
City's First Mayor:	Felipe Nery de Aguiar, (1896 - 1900)
Today's Mayor:	Bruno Silva Contursi, (2003 -
Address of City Hall:	Prefeitura Municipal de Itaqui Rua Bento de Gonçalves, 335 Itaqui-RS Brasil South America
Postcode (CEP):	97 650-000
Website:	www.itaqui.rs.gov.br
Contact:	e-mail
Listen to 1 of its 4 local Radio:	[1]
Itaqui in Brazil’s Map:
GC.KLS2 MAP:[2] MSN MAP:[3] GOOGLE MAP:[4] MAPSERVER:[5]
See weather satellite images from NASA and Others Weather Forecasts
NASA:[6] IRGA:[7] CNN SAT.ANIM.LAST 6h:[8]CNN FORECAST:[9]CNN TEMPERATURES:[10] UTC = GMT = (Brazilia Time - ( minus ) 3:00h) (Ex: 17:15 UTC or GMT = 14:15h in Brazilia)

[edit] History

The "Lodge" of Itaqui was founded in 1858

The Itaqui’s slogan: The Portal of Rio Grande originated at a first moment from the theory of the Central Corridor, elaborated by the writer, composer and folklorist Barbosa Lessa and, later, after some analyses and debates by studious and researchers of the Itaquiense’s community, was adopted as the slogan that makes the differentiation and the characterization of the city of Itaqui.

The use of slogans must be faced as a prominent differential on the front to other cities, where they search to stand out historical aspects, some special culture or peculiarities of the place.

In the Itaqui’s slogan: The Portal of Rio Grande, the emphasis is in the historical aspect, for justifying it we need to retrocede back to XV Century, rescuing the historical personage of the Priest Roque González de Santa Cruz, (the first Paraguayan Saint, canonized in Asunción in May 16, 1988).

With the objective to extend its dominions until the bands of High Uruguay River or Braz.= Rio Uruguai, the governor of the Province of Río de la Plata, Don Francisco de Céspedes, granted a determination so that the Jesuit Priest Roque González, from the Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu (S.I. or S.J.) in Latin), penetrated in the current territory of the Rio Grande do Sul, to religious conversion of the Indians and establishing Jesuits Reductions or Christian-Indian city-states.

In the year of 1626, through the right border of the Ibicuí River (on the pertaining territory to the city of Itaqui) affluent of the Uruguay River, the Priest Roque fulfilled the received determination, establishing the Reduction of Candelária of Ibicuí (pertaining territory to the city of São Francisco de Assis) and, giving continuity to its intentions, other Reductions had been established: Saint Thomé (Jaguari), Saint José (Saint Vicente), among others.

Traveling by means of transporting faster at that time, the course of Ibicuí River, the religious obtained his socially objectives, making religious conversions of the Indians, organizing them in Reductions, being politically subordinated to the Spanish Crown, through the Governor of the Province of the Río de la Plata, and economically structuralized, to effect transactions with other Reductions and negotiations with Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

Therefore, the Itaqui’s slogan: The Portal of Rio Grande is widely based, and historically proven, since its territory served as door of entrance for the beginning of the "contact of our land with the Occidental civilization". (Barbosa Lessa).

The Portal of Rio Grande, served as the entrance door for the first populations of gauchos and contributed, together with other factors, to transform the State of Rio Grande do Sul into a power capable to fight for its objectives and ideals, becoming a fighting, human and just people in the construction of the Gaúcho State. Text: Tanira Rodrigues Soares - Writer, Teacher of History and Specialist in Methodology of High Teaching of History.

Historic Date: In 25 September 1865, the Emperor D. Pedro II (Peter II of Brazil) visits Itaqui, the cortege traveling through Uruguay River.

[edit] Arts

Theater Prezewokowski History

Terraterra

Theatro Prezewodowski or Teatro Prezewodowski was built in the year of 1883 and is one of the oldest of South America. It’s located it the city of Itaqui, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It’s older then the present Colón Theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina that is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. The present Colón Theater, the second with that name, opened in 1908 after twenty years under construction.

The privileged localization of the city of Itaqui, making border with Argentina and very close to the border with Uruguay, possessing at the time regular fluvial transport in the Uruguay River and Río de la Plata, placed the city of Itaqui in constant contact with Buenos Aires and Montevideo and through the ports of these cities, with other important city’s capitals of Europe.

This commercial interchange made solid the cultural level of the time, being constructed the Theater, the cornerstone was laid in 1883, consisting, then in an historical landmark of the most shining period of the cultural life of one of the oldest Theater of Brazil.

Its construction is all in masonry, with a façade of 15 meters of front, being the most important original characteristics the mobile auditorium, which, through a special mechanism, allowed the levelling of the same one with the stage, for the accomplishment of balls and other types of events.

The name of the Theater, homages Estanislau Prezewodowski, who fought before at the Paraguayan War or War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) and was Polish-descendant, ( he was born in Bahia ) and then leader of the Flotilla of the High Uruguay River, unit of the Brazilian Navy, that was anchored here in waters of the Uruguay River in Itaqui, during 40 years approximately.

The Prezewodowski Theater is situated in front of the “Square Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca” and at the side of the Municipal City hall.

Its façade is all worked, having a porch of entrance, with two Roman’s columns, between which, the main entrance is located and on it is the name of the Theater.

At both the sides, it’s provided with windows on the ground and at the first floor, and the first floor have two doors with fences of iron. We arrive at these openings and fences by a hall.

During many years the theater had seen in it’s stage plays of greats international theatrical companies, that traced its script in Brazil, in axle Porto Alegre-São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro, going to Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Due to the easiness of the fluvial transport, these European companies always scaled and played in Itaqui's Theater, loaning also to the city the nickname of the “Small Paris.”

Not only the foreign companies were attractions at the Theater, the biggest names of the Brazilian stages also have played in it, such as Prócopio Ferreira, Maria de La Costa, Nicete Bruno, Wilson Grey, Vicente Celestino and others famous artists from 'Theatro Nacional do Rio de Janeiro'.

With the advent of the Second World War, that did not allow more the coming of theatrical companies to Brazil, the Theater went down in decay.

The society of the city administered the Theater until the year of 1928, when the cinematographic entrepreneur Manoel Barbosa leased it for the price, of that time, of monthly R$350,000 réis (plural word of Brazilian real, old and today's currency).

In the year of 1931, it was leased to another entrepreneur, Mr. Eduardo Corbacho for the equivalent 10% of the incomes of the spectacles, with a minimum guarantee of R$300,000 réis.

In the year of 1933 the company Contursi & Cia leased it for the monthly value of R$600,000 réis, with the obligation to make it to function at least four times per month, permitting too that isolated artists or the city’s artists played in it.

In the year of 1942, the building was at public auction, as a result of an action moved by a shareholder, whom she desired to rescue representative values of capital that she had subscribed. The building was bought in the auction by the city’s medic and politician Dr. Roque Degrazia, that later, for the accurate price he paid, repassed to the city’s hall administration, which is still today owner of its patrimony.

[edit] Economy

Paddy-field

Brazil is today the greatest Occident´s rice producer and consumer.

Itaqui is the 2nd rice producer of the State and CAMIL INC. is the greatest rice Industry of Latin America. It uses the brand name of CAMIL in rice, soya oil and bean that it industrializes. The company was created in Itaqui in the 60’s. Now has great enterprises in São Paulo and at the city of Camaquã and Maçambará.[11] [12]

Together with Itaqui's branch, JOSAPAR INC., from the city of Pelotas is the producer of ‘TIO JOÃO’ brand name rice and is the 2nd major rice industry of Latin America. [13]

The economy of the city is based too, on large purebred creations of British and European cattle like Angus, Hereford, Charolais, Simmental and many others contemporary breeds as the result of crossing two or more of the older breeds like Santa Gertrudis purebred, from Texas, USA.

[edit] Artists and Famous Persons from Itaqui, Around The World

Gaúcho Poet, CYRO GAVIÃO - Author of the city's Anthem Text (the melody´s author is Adines Gavião) [14]

NATÉRCIA CUNHA, the first woman-lawyer of Brazil.

JOAQUINA BARBOSA, the first woman-journalist of the State. Wrote to Porto Alegre's newspaper "Correio do Povo" and "Folha da Tarde".

Writer MANOELITO DE ORNELLAS, born in Itaqui, 02 Feb 1903. His 1966 book "Máscaras e Murais de Minha Terra" received the 1968 award Joaquim Nabuco from Academia Brasileira de Letras, or Brazilian Academy of Letters. For his press works about the 50 years of Brazilian Republic he was awarded with the "Silver Medal" by the Federal Law-Decree nr. 1972, of 19 Jan 1940. [15]

Musician Composer and singer of Gaúchas Musics, Elton Saldanha

Poet, Composer and Writer José João Sampaio da Silva, considered one of the greatest artistic expressions in the payador style, studious of the native history and dialects of Latin America, he also writes in Spanish and Guaraní. His texts had been published in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, with poems translated in Japan and recorded musics in the Switzerland. In 1998 he wrote the poem book "Puraihei Missioneiro", with guaraní's inspiration and of regional style, and received the best compliments of Brazil and other countries literary critics.

Musician, Singer and Composer of Gaúchas Musics, Bonitinho, (nickname of Juliano Trindade.

Trapeze Artist Raquel Karro, 27 years, from Itaqui is in the Cirque Du Soleil, a Canadian Circus that works with U$1,000,000,000 budget per year. [16]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

The 2002's book "ITAQUI", by Iara Maria Pazetto Rossi.
The photo "Sundown at Uruguai River seen from the Port of Itaqui/RS" was shot by Belmiro Elói Bittencourt da Rosa on 08 July 2006.