Ipatinga
Ipatinga is a Brazilian municipality located in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Situated in the Vale do Rio Doce, it is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region, approximately km east of the state capital. The municipality covers an area of just over km², with about km² in urban area, and its population was estimated at inhabitants in 2024, making it the eleventh most populous municipality in Minas Gerais. The municipal seat is located near the confluence of the Piracicaba River and the Doce River.
Exploration of the region where Ipatinga now stands began in the 19th century with the arrival of bandeirantes. However, significant settlement only occurred between the 1910s and 1920s with the establishment of the EFVM. In 1953, the area was designated a district under Coronel Fabriciano, and during the same decade, it was selected as the site for the industrial hub of Usiminas, leading to rapid population growth as people migrated from various parts of Brazil. At the request of the company, the first neighborhoods of Ipatinga were constructed to house its workers, culminating in the municipality's emancipation in 1964.
Alongside the original "Workers' Village," the growth of the non-industrial population spurred the development of new neighborhoods unrelated to Usiminas during the second half of the 20th century, although industry remains the primary source of municipal revenue. The sustained industrial activity in the region contributed to the formation of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region, one of the main urban hubs in the state's interior. Ipatinga plays a pivotal role as an employer for surrounding cities and generates over 60% of the metropolitan region's GDP.
Cultural traditions such as handicrafts and congado from rural communities are present in the municipality, alongside recreational attractions such as Ipanema Park, Shopping Vale do Aço, and Usipa. Much of Ipatinga's entertainment stems from Usiminas' community investments, notably the Usiminas Cultural Center, which hosts cultural events of regional or even national significance.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Ipatinga" varies by source. One version suggests it is a term from the Tupi language meaning "clear water landing." However, according to Eduardo Navarro in his Dictionary of Old Tupi, the name translates to "clear lagoon". Another account claims that the name was created by engineer Pedro Nolasco, responsible for the Vitória-Minas Railway project, combining "Ipa" and "tinga".History
Colonization of the region
Exploration of the region, initially known as the Sertões do Rio Doce, began in the late 16th century with expeditions seeking precious metals. However, exploration was banned in the early 17th century to prevent gold smuggling from the nearby Diamantina region. Settlement was permitted in 1755, and during the 19th century, under Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, the bandeirantes visited the area, noting the presence of indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, significant colonization in the Ipatinga area did not occur until the 20th century. By around 1920, small settlements had formed in the current neighborhoods of Barra Alegre, Ipaneminha, Taúbas, and Bom Jardim, resulting from land appropriations or, in the case of Ipaneminha, as stopping points along a road used by tropeiros traveling to Ouro Preto and Diamantina.The construction of the EFVM through eastern Minas Gerais stimulated population growth along the banks of the Doce and Piracicaba rivers, as it would in the Vale do Aço region. On 1 August 1922, the Pedra Mole Station was inaugurated near the current Cariru neighborhood, and in the same year, the Nossa Senhora Station was built, leading to the emergence of the Córrego de Nossa Senhora or Horto de Nossa Senhora settlement in the present-day Horto neighborhood. At this location, the first pharmacy in the current Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region was established by pharmacist Raimundo Alves de Carvalho.
The Pedra Mole Station was deactivated a few years after its opening due to a change in the EFVM's route, and a new terminal was built in the current Center of Ipatinga. In 1924, the Calado Station was established in Coronel Fabriciano, where the Belgo-Mineira Steel Company set up operations in the 1930s. Large areas were acquired to centralize the company's timber extraction in the region to fuel its furnaces in João Monlevade. However, only Coronel Fabriciano experienced significant population and urban growth between the 1930s and 1940s, intensified by the establishment of Acesita in 1944, leading to its emancipation from Antônio Dias in 1948. Under Law No. 1,039, dated 12 December 1953, the Ipatinga settlement was elevated to a district of Fabriciano.
The presence of charcoal kilns operated by Belgo-Mineira and Acesita boosted local commercial activity, further supported by the construction of the Salto Grande Hydroelectric Plant in Braúnas. Machinery for this project was unloaded in the settlement, stored, and gradually transported to the dam. Nevertheless, the Ipatinga district received little attention from the municipal seat until the late 1950s. Until then, its primary economic activities remained tied to agriculture and livestock.
Economic and industrial expansion
In 1956, a Japanese commission visited the then-district of Ipatinga, selecting it as the site for the Usiminas steel plant. Factors influencing this decision included suitable topography, proximity to raw material sources and consumer markets, availability of water resources, abundant electricity, local railway infrastructure, and proximity to other steelmaking centers. News of the steel plant's construction attracted many new residents even before its establishment, necessitating urban planning for the city.With the establishment of Usiminas in Ipatinga, entire neighborhoods were built to house its workers, with Horto being the first. At that time, the settlement had about 60 houses and 300 inhabitants. The development of the first urban plan for what was then called the Workers' Village, designed by architect Raphael Hardy Filho in 1958, enabled the establishment of the municipality's initial neighborhoods. The residential complexes of the former Workers' Village are located between the Piracicaba River and the steel plant and were distributed according to the company's hierarchy, distinguishing between engineers, technicians, workers, and supervisors. Usiminas began operations on 26 October 1962, after then-President João Goulart ignited the blast furnace for the first time, enabling the initial run of pig iron.
However, state investments, which accounted for 55% of Usiminas' state capital—5% from national entrepreneurs and 40% from Japanese investors— were largely confined to the company's surroundings and gave little consideration to Coronel Fabriciano as a whole, which had exempted Usiminas from taxes. Moreover, the infrastructure provided by the company was insufficient to meet the needs of workers from the region or those arriving from other parts of Brazil seeking employment, as well as those not employed in the industry. In Ipatinga, housing was scarce, and violence rates were high.
Urban conflicts and emancipation
Protests by Usiminas workers against poor housing and working conditions, compounded by humiliations such as being searched before entering and leaving the company, intensified military oppression under orders from Minas Gerais Governor José de Magalhães Pinto. On 7 October 1963, approximately six thousand striking workers at the company's entrance were fired upon by 19 soldiers positioned on a truck. The incident, known as the Ipatinga Massacre, officially resulted in eight deaths and 79 injuries, though these figures have been contested.In the months following the massacre, salary increases were granted, the security team was replaced, and the soldiers involved in the attacks and massacre were convicted. However, the 1964 coup ousted then-President and unionist João Goulart, initiating the military regime. This led to the arrest of local unionists and labor movement leaders, and the involved police officers were acquitted. The construction of residential complexes also intensified during the 1960s.
Prior to the massacre, there was already dissatisfaction among Ipatinga's population with Coronel Fabriciano's administration due to the distance to the municipal seat and a sense of isolation, leading to the formation of a pro-emancipation commission in 1962. Like the district of Timóteo, Ipatinga's emancipation was approved by the Coronel Fabriciano City Council and enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais through state law No. 2,764, dated 30 December 1962, but was vetoed by Governor Magalhães Pinto under the influence of a political alliance with then-Fabriciano mayor Cyro Cotta Poggiali. Fabriciano's administration was reluctant to lose revenue from Acesita and Usiminas, and the governor claimed he aimed to maintain the political, administrative, economic, and financial unity of this industrial hub.
In 1962, the district had about 20,000 inhabitants. However, influenced by the 1963 massacre and a rift between Fabriciano's mayor and Magalhães Pinto, a new commission secured Ipatinga's emancipation approval by the State Interior Secretariat on 28 April 1964. The same process also emancipated the district of Timóteo, as well as João Monlevade and Bela Vista de Minas, from Coronel Fabriciano. The independence of Ipatinga and Timóteo was announced on a stage set up in Fabriciano's Centro around noon on the same day, formalized with publication in the Official Gazette the following day, 29 April. José Orozimbo da Silva was appointed as interim mayor, later replaced by Délio Baêta Costa, but Fernando Santos Coura was the first elected mayor, assuming office on 4 December 1965.