Happy TravellerWelcome to Poços de Caldas, a picturesque municipality located in the south of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Known for its hot springs, Poços de Caldas has become a popular destination for travelers seeking rest and relaxation. However, there is much more to this charming city than just its thermal waters. Join us as we discover the history, geography, economy, and tourism of Poços de Caldas.
History:
Poços de Caldas was founded in 1872, and its name comes from Caldas da Rainha, a spa town in central Portugal. The region had been inhabited by the Cataguases Indians, who were later expelled from their lands by the Bandeiras Unidas Paulistas during their quest for gold. In 1874 it became a district, then, in 1875, it was elevated to the category of city. It became famous after the discovery of the hot springs, and many important people began to visit the spa in search of cures provided by the water.
Geography:
Poços de Caldas lies on the boundary of the state of São Paulo at 1186 meters elevation and is the main socio-economic nucleus of its region, having an area of 547 km2 (85 km2 urban and 459 km2 rural) in the municipality. The physical area is made up for the most part of a high plateau formed by mountains, fields, and valleys with an area of approximately 750 km2. The average elevation is 1200 m (3937 ft), with Cristo Redentor, the highest point, at 1686 m (5531 ft). The topography is highly suggestive of a volcanic crater, but in reality, Poços de Caldas is inside a caldera that was formed by the collapse of a central portion of terrain amid elevated areas. Poços de Caldas occupies a highly strategic geographical location, due to its proximity to São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Rio de Janeiro, whose connections are made with good highways, and due to its integration into the routes of the hydro-mineral spas of Serra Negra, Águas de Lindóia, Socorro, Monte Alegre do Sul, Águas da Prata, Caldas (Pocinhos do Rio Verde), Cambuquira, Lambari, Caxambu, and São Lourenço.
Climate:
The climate is characterized by dry winters and mild summers. The winter is from April to September and has an average temperature of 15 °C and rainfall of 315 mm. The summer is from October to March and has an average temperature of 21 °C with rainfall of 1,430 mm. The annual rainfall is 1,745 mm. The average annual temperature is 17 °C with record low of -6 °C and record high of 31.7 °C.
Economy:
Poços de Caldas is known principally for its thermal baths, and there are several resorts in the city. Due to its wealth in hydro-mineral resources, Poços de Caldas is also known for the quality of the soap that it produces. There are four factories in the city: Raízes, Antares, Sarandi, and Terra Brasil. Poços is famous for its glass, which is known internationally. The founders of the factories were descendants of the artistic glassmakers who lived on the Island of Murano, near Venice, in Italy. In the city, there are four glass factories: CaDoro, São Marcos, Veneza, and Bonora. The local soils are rich in minerals that yield thorium and zirconium. One rare zirconium ore, caldasite, was named for the area. The city has Brazil’s first uranium-ore concentration plant, for use in the Angra Nuclear Power Plant in Angra dos Reis. Poços is also the home of one of the largest bauxite mines in the world, owned by Alcoa. Bauxite is an ore that contains at least 45% alumina, which is extracted to make aluminum. The smelting operations at Poços de Caldas have an annual capacity of 90,000 tons/year of primary aluminum. The facility is the largest aluminum-powder production facility in Latin America and the second largest in the world. The plant has a capacity of 14,000 tonnes/year of aluminum powder and meets the market demand for ferroalloys, refractories, pigments, metallurgy, chemicals, explosives, and solid fuel for rockets. The facility began production of hydrated aluminas and hard-burned calcined aluminas in 1985. The city gets most of its electricity from hydroelectric power plants, built and administrated with local resources (dimethyl ether), leading to independence from the state’s power system.
Tourism:
The main attraction of Poços de Caldas is its sulphurous water, which can be consumed in several fountains and at Thermas Antônio Carlos. However, the city also has parks, squares, gardens, and São Domingos mountain, which has trails for walking. Visitors can take an aerial tram to get to the Statue of Christ the Redeemer (1686 m). At the top of the mountain, there is a great view of the nearby mountains. The city also offers options such as a Japanese tea garden, a theme park, museums, theaters, and other cultural events, including the yearly Music in the Mountains Festival (Festival Musica nas Montanhas). The city is served by Emb. Walther Moreira Salles Airport.
Notable people:
Mauro Ramos de Oliveira, 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cup champion with Brazil National Football Team; Fabiana Passoni (born c. 1977), Brazilian singer.
Sister cities:
Poços de Caldas is twinned with Takasaki, Japan (1968); Jundiaí, Brazil (1991); Caldas da Rainha, Portugal (2001); General Pueyrredón, Argentina (2009); São Luís, Brazil (2011); São João del-Rei, Brazil (2012); Bagé, Brazil (2014); and Mount Vernon, United States (2014).
Plan a visit to Poços de Caldas and discover the many treasures that this enchanting destination has to offer!
