A região de São Luiz do Paraitinga

Resumo

In the 1st Chapter the author presents São Luís region in a crystalline structure zone with an abrupt relief where can be distinguished three kinds of relief: the bottom of the valley with flat surfaces; the hills with abrupt slopes; the elevated areas with the highest altitudes toward Serra do Mar scarp. To this area drained by Paraitinga and Paraibuna belongs to the part of "paulista" territory, called "zona do alto Paraíba" which take part the Brazilian Atlantic tropical hills, mountains and scarps.

            In the second the author deals with settlement and landscape evolution, he shows that natural conditions not always good to settlement, marginal situation joined to natural communications, the seacoast isolation and the unknown of mineral resources or some other possibilities for habitual cultivation did not allow the men to settle in this region in XVI and XVII centuries. He studies the problem of "Sesmaria" and the discovery and exploration of mineral deposits in Minas Gerais. He states was already parcially settled since the first part of XVIII century, he tells this first phase was characterized by land property though a subsistence policultivation. From the beginning of the fourth decennial of the XIX century a new period of economic evolution in this region has started - the cotton and coffee cultivation, chiefly the latter changed the landscape aspect radically. The author goes on showing that with the decadence of coffee cultivation this region had a transaction period (policultivation with activities agricultural industrial limited) till arriving to nowadays period, dominated by cattle.

            In the III chapter, the population is studied and through collected data we can state that the municipality (village) has a low population density and more than 85% lived in rural zone. Although the irregularity of its distribution of population is spread along the valleys, with concentration around urban nucleus. About this population whose progress is a consequence of economical phases which characterized the region, the author presents some interesting characteristics to be considered such as: a low numerical superiority on the masculine sex; a certain ethnically homogeneity with predominance of white and national elements in its totality; the same situation on religion; at last, a low level of knowledge and a high level of illiteracy.

            He states in the IV Chapter the most part of population in applied on rural activities, chiefly cattle, with commercial aim while agriculture has much more regional significance.            He says that cattle is the most important economical activity and presently it is very impressive on landscape aspect, so that miner cattleman penetration is considered a special chapter. In São Luís development. Searching its characteristics there, the author shows its extensive character where predominate pasture (of capim gordura); cattle are not very big and proprieties have deficient installations.

            He explains that even though little milk-food industries on purpose to get milk, cheese and butter had appeared since the beginning of the taking up of regional hills; the commercial milk system improved as a result of its organized company which appeared as consequence of the opening and improvement of the roads; the big companies absolved the modest ones, managing them like a real monopoly.

            Nevertheless the always growing cattle importance of the region continues having its chiefly activities tied up to agriculture and it is possible to notice a certain directness on pasture and cultivation distribution. Presented data give an idea as village has lost the importance, it had at first, although cereals, continues having great significance in agriculture productlon chiefly bean and corn followed by rise. He makes mention of manioc and sugarcane that feed usual industry, tabaco cultivation and about new products as tomatoes, onions and arabian potatoes. He says that fruit cultivation is now in decadency, but in the past, lt had great economical importance in the municipality; nowadays only banana and orange have some significance. He shows that the abrupt relief was always the great problem to agricultural mecanization and because of this the whole region had agricultural technic very obsolete.

            In the V Chapter when he looks over the work systems he makes clear that the most part of the properties has a chief the owner and the properties has an administer are very few; it is common in the region the renter; the used paid people are those known as "retireiros" and "camaradas". There is no problem with workingman (It is cheap and abundant), this is explained by excedent action, resulted from introduction and improvement of milk cattle that have made disappear the traditional system of working. This joined to life standard of rural workman which allows the sub existence in a few days working.

            Studying in the VI Chapter the rural properties he joints out the big ones as real exception in the municipality; he says that there is no doubt about the fragmentation of land and this area is one of small properties even though "manufundus". Although not yet very clear it is occurring the phenomenon of properties concentration and everything take us to believe that cattle are the responsible for this, however without allowing the rising of big farming. He notices the distribution of different classes of properties are not homogeneous; on the plain field predominate the small properties, chiefly with subsistence agricultural; in small and middle properties cattle are kept although with real agricultural islands; the biggest ones are kept in abrupt areas and they are chiefly occupied by cattle.

            He goes on, showing that the most valuable regions are in the neighborhood of São Luís not by the town influence, but by the road presence where predominate the big and middle properties, the low prices appear in abrupt areas, with some big properties, where not always the sol! is completed used. He explains that the prices evolution there have accompanied the economical vicissitude, although it seems to indicate that the money depreciation and immovable speculation will be the greatest responsible by the phenomenon. When he refers about properties type, he says that generally we can find there great types in the region cattle properties, agricultural and mixed, although it will be possible to distinguish little differences among them. Cattle properties seem to predominate, and it ls the most common type showed by middle or big properties with considerable pasture regions and small subsistence village; same of them have commercial.

            Agricultural properties are lease numerous and not so big as the cattle one, however they occupy the most part of the workingman (the most common is poliagriculture) and they appear in the botton of the valleys. The big agriculture properties are not frequent. The mixed properties, where agriculture and cattle appear with almost the same importance are not very common.

            The rural habitation frequently reflects social and economical conditions and also the level life of the inhabitants and various aspects the "cabocla" culture that belong most of them. It is very difficult to distinguish the farmer house from the renter one, although this difference. It had been noticed in the past. The policultivation of subsistence finished by leveling the differences that resulted from commercial monocultivation of coffee when the farmer house had much more significance than the poor house of the "camaradas meeiros" and small farmers.

            The houses are far from each other appear isolated in the valleys; this position is explained by the irregular size and configuration of the properties. He notices that although domain the disposition of the habitat In the region we can find rural concentration of inhabitants; there are always some importants groups whose people have a certain relationship in order to reduce the isolation.

            The author studies carefully In the VII Chapter, the town of São Luis (situation and structure, origin and evolution, urban functions and communications) after representing a series of things such as: it belongs to a town group: that has helped as links among various old coast ports in North of Santos and urban centers in the Paraíba valley; it had prosperity periods (it was the center of and that knows economical prosperity · and was a resting place in the way used to flow the production of the same valley); it knew the decadence phase, comming from the almost coffee cultivation absence and the decadence of named ports as consequence of "Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil and São Paulo Railway construction".

            It became a cattle region and with milk production and commerce has given to it a certain improvement, and so on.

            As conclusion the author says that São Luís do Paraitinga region is an exemple of the vicissitudes suffered by these areas, called "old zones" of São Paulo either under economical aspect or under social aspect. Looking at the different phases that characterized this region by a great landscape instability in almost all its past, that must be connected with a traditional country-man absence. The different kinds of soil occupation that followed in this area were marked by its deficiency; the natural conditions joined to the technique that the man used had some significance.

            He tells that cattle brought to the region a new possib1lity of development; he thinks also that this activity does not be considered as a decadent element, but as a new kind of soil utilization that can give compensating fruits.

            He does not consider completely lost the regional agricultural activities; he believe that a commercial agriculture based upon policultivation can be developed. He states however that nothing can give positive results without having an improvement in the way system of the region.

           Anything can be done either in cattle or in agriculture without a technical orientation coming from public administration. The principal problem is to change the local narrow minded farmer tied up to a subsistence tillage in a farmer that produce to sell accepting a new and a more adequate method, growing thus its life pattern. He notices that the greatest problem is to change all cultural situation in order do solve the questions connected with advantageous kind of agricultural spaces.