Roque Gonzales, Rio Grande do Sul
Encyclopedia
Roque Gonzales is a town and municipality located in the northwestern region of the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul
, Brazil
, not very far from Argentina
which is located to the west, across the Uruguay River
. Roque Gonzales was named after the jesuit missionary
and saint
Roque González de Santa Cruz
.
s or Deutschbrasilianer from the old colonized areas of the state of Rio Grande do Sul settled Roque Gonzales. The original German settlements from whence they came were often referred to as Altkolonie because they are located on the eastern part of the state where Germans first put down roots, starting in 1824 (i.e. Estrela
, Montenegro
, Lajeado, etc.).
Pommersch or the Pomeranian language has been spoken in Esquina Emanuel since the early days of its foundation because it was settled by immigrants of Pomeranian descent. Dona Otília was settled primarily by Lutherans. Typically most of the German speakers in the municipality and in the wider region spoke Riograndenser Hunsrückisch and identified with the Roman Catholic tradition and customs.
The city of Roque Gonzales is home of writer Nelson Hoffmann who wrote, among other works, which was translated into Italian as by Marco Scalabrino. The book is about the relationship of a grandfather, the author, with his first grandson. It has received positive reviews and has been classified by some as a book for all ages.
The Premio Missões of literature of Roque Gonzales is headed by João Weber Griebeler of Igaçaba Produções Culturais and it covers mostly Brazilian literature
but some works in other languages are also occasionally published (collective anthology). Griebeler also is the editor of the local newspaper, the Jornal Igaçaba.
Roque Gonzales is located near the margins of the Rio Ijuí. Not too far south from the town the river turns into a wide waterfall: Salto Pirapó. Camping is available in the area. It is a great place for bird watching, hiking a relaxation. This is also the location of a small hydroelectric plant built almost one hundred years ago and a fixture in local history. Two new hydroelectric plants are scheduled to be built on the Ijuí river within the general region.
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, not very far from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
which is located to the west, across the Uruguay River
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
. Roque Gonzales was named after the jesuit missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Roque González de Santa Cruz
Roque González de Santa Cruz
Father Roque González de Santa Cruz S.J. was born in Asunción, Paraguay on 17 November 1576. He was the son of Don Bartolomé González de Villaverde and Doña María de Santa Cruz who were Spanish nobles. Roque González spoke Guaraní fluently from an early age....
.
Neighboring municipalities
- Porto XavierPorto Xavier-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
- São Paulo das MissõesSão Paulo das Missões-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
- São Pedro do ButiáSão Pedro do Butiá-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul* Riograndenser Hunsrückisch...
- RoladorRoladorRolador is a municipality of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located 524 km west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, northeast of Alegrete.-Bounding municipalities:*São Pedro do Butiá...
- São Luiz GonzagaSão Luiz GonzagaSão Luiz Gonzaga is a municipality of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located 503 km west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, northeast of Alegrete....
- Dezesseis de NovembroDezesseis de NovembroDezesseis de Novembro is a municipality of the weswestern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, northeast of Alegrete....
- PirapóPirapóPirapó is a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The origin of the name comes from the Tupi language. It is located 563 km west of the state capital of Porto Alegre and northeast of Alegrete....
History and information
Primarily German-BrazilianGerman-Brazilian
A German Brazilian is a Brazilian person of ethnic German ancestry or origin...
s or Deutschbrasilianer from the old colonized areas of the state of Rio Grande do Sul settled Roque Gonzales. The original German settlements from whence they came were often referred to as Altkolonie because they are located on the eastern part of the state where Germans first put down roots, starting in 1824 (i.e. Estrela
Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul
-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
, Montenegro
Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul
Montenegro is a city and municipality of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; 59.000 inhabitants.The town was established in 1847 to be settled primarily by German immigrants from the Hundsrück region of southwest Germany. The local language was Riograndenser Hundsrückisch for most of its...
, Lajeado, etc.).
Pommersch or the Pomeranian language has been spoken in Esquina Emanuel since the early days of its foundation because it was settled by immigrants of Pomeranian descent. Dona Otília was settled primarily by Lutherans. Typically most of the German speakers in the municipality and in the wider region spoke Riograndenser Hunsrückisch and identified with the Roman Catholic tradition and customs.
The city of Roque Gonzales is home of writer Nelson Hoffmann who wrote, among other works, which was translated into Italian as by Marco Scalabrino. The book is about the relationship of a grandfather, the author, with his first grandson. It has received positive reviews and has been classified by some as a book for all ages.
The Premio Missões of literature of Roque Gonzales is headed by João Weber Griebeler of Igaçaba Produções Culturais and it covers mostly Brazilian literature
Brazilian literature
Brazilian literature is written in the Portuguese language by Brazilians or in Brazil, even if prior to Brazil's independence from Portugal, in 1822...
but some works in other languages are also occasionally published (collective anthology). Griebeler also is the editor of the local newspaper, the Jornal Igaçaba.
Roque Gonzales is located near the margins of the Rio Ijuí. Not too far south from the town the river turns into a wide waterfall: Salto Pirapó. Camping is available in the area. It is a great place for bird watching, hiking a relaxation. This is also the location of a small hydroelectric plant built almost one hundred years ago and a fixture in local history. Two new hydroelectric plants are scheduled to be built on the Ijuí river within the general region.
External links
- Roque Gonzales official site (in Portuguese)
- Roque Gonzales - Cerro Inhacurutum (in Portuguese)