Alcântaras

Alcântaras is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.

History of Alcantaras
Alcântaras, before its political emancipation, was called Sítio São José, in honor of the husband of Jesus' mother, Mary. The municipality was once part of the territory of Meruoca, a city older than other larger cities. Serra da Meruoca was inhabited by natives, aborigines of this land called Ceará by Europeans. The first contact between Rerius indigenous people and Catholic missionaries sent by the Church was on the side of the mountain where the municipality of Alcântaras is currently located. The first Europeans who arrived in Serra da Meruoca suffered a lot; In addition to the tropical climate, they had to endure mosquitoes (muriçoca), giant flies and other living beings, many of which were venomous. There were fruits in the mountains that did not exist in Europe and also indigenous food and products that entered the menu of European settlers. According to a well-known historian in Sobral, several of these colonizers were actually Jews who fled persecution on the European Continent. They converted to Catholicism, but their hearts were still focused only on Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews. João Capistrano, a descendant of Portuguese, stayed in the Serra da Meruoca and took possession of the lands on the west side of the mountain. Because the Alcântara family was so prosperous, the new municipality was named in honor of the Alcântara family* (Alcântaras). Other descendants of Lusitanians and Spaniards settled in other parts of the mountains. In Bonfim, in Ventura, in Fidalgo, in Santa Bárbara, a certain Thomaz took root and took up a good part of the land of what is now the São Jerônimo site, which is less than 10 kilometers from the municipality's headquarters. (Above satellite photo of the São Jerônimo site)

The first mayor of Meruoca was born in or had roots in Sítio São José. He used his political power to create the municipality of Alcântaras.

Culture
Quadrilha Junina (Festival de Quadrilhas Juninas de Alcântaras): Hundreds of large groups of traditional folke dances that organize to make presentations, usually to the sound of Forró, during the festas juninas, in the month of June (and also July).

Cuisine: Brazilian cuisine includes feijoada. There are some dishes which are typical of the northeast of Brazil, as macaxera, tapioca, carne do sol, but the typical food of Ceará is Baião de Dois.

Religion: The dominant Religion of Alcântaras is Roman Catholicism due to the influence Portuguese.

Climate
Alcântaras has a typical tropical climate. The climate of Alcântaras is hot almost all year. The temperature in the municipality varies from 18 to 36 C

Government

 * Eliesio Fonteles
 * Joaquim Carvalho

Notable people
Caetano Ximenes de Aragão, doctor and writer (February 24, 1927 - June 14, 1995).

Access
One road give access to the city: CE-241.

Schools
There are five schools on the city.
 * Escola Gregório Cunha Freire
 * Escola José P. Barroso
 * Escola Inocência Alcântara Freire
 * Escola Estadual Francisco de Almeida Monte
 * Escola Maria Raulino

Media
The city has one radio station, Rádio Bela Vista FM.