t Vineyards blanketing the Vale dos Vinhedos, near Bento Gonçalves
t Vineyards blanketing the Vale dos Vinhedos, near Bento Gonçalves
EXPERIENCE Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul once formed part of the Guaraní homelands, a vast area that also encompassed parts of modern-day Argentina and Paraguay. In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas divided South America between Portugal and Spain. Initially, the energies of Spain and Portugal were focused elsewhere, and this isolated area was virtually independent of both nations. The Jesuits arrived in 1626, eventually establishing seven missions – the Misiones Orientales – in what is now Brazilian territory and converting thousands of Guaraní. The region’s autonomy was ended by the Guaraní War of 1756, during which a combined Spanish-Portuguese army destroyed the missions and killed most of the Guaraní.
On the coast, Azorean settlers founded Porto Alegre in the mid-18th century, and by the early 19th century the cattle ranching and charqueada (beef jerky) industries had transformed the region, with Porto Alegre booming as the primary port for beef exports. Gaúchos slowly began to dominate the state. The failed Farroupilha Revolution (1835–45) was essentially a gaúcho war of secession; they again fought for autonomy during the Federalist Riograndense Revolution (1893–95).
Meanwhile, the region was being transformed by further waves of immigrants – primarily the Germans, who came between 1824 and 1859, and the Italians, who arrived between 1875 and 1915, establishing Brazil’s modern wine industry. The state remained rebellious: the popular revolution that led to Getúlio Vargas becoming dictator of Brazil began in 1930 in Rio Grande do Sul, where he was serving as governor. The state was also where impeached former president Dilma Rousseff rose to power in the 1970s.