Maracaju, Mato Grosso do Sul
Municipality in Central-West, Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maracaju is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Central-West region. Its elevation is 384 m. The economy of Maracaju is based on agriculture — with emphasis on soybean and corn crops — and on extensive livestock raising and feedlots. The municipality has an estimated population of 48,564 inhabitants (2026)[2] and, according to the 2022 census, had 45,047 inhabitants.[3] In the regional division of the IBGE, it is part of the immediate and intermediate regions of Dourados.[4]
Maracaju | |
|---|---|
Sunset in the region of Maracaju | |
 Flag | |
 Location in Mato Grosso do Sul state | |
  Maracaju Location in Brazil | |
| Coordinates: 21°36′50″S 55°10′04″W | |
| Country | Brazil |
| Region | Central-West |
| State | Mato Grosso do Sul |
| Mesoregion | Southwest of Mato Grosso do Sul |
| Microregion | Dourados |
| Founded | June 11, 1924 |
| Emancipated | September 7, 1928 (from Nioaque) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | José Marcos Calderan[1] (PSDB) |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,396.905 km2 (2,083.757 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 384 m (1,260 ft) |
| Population (2026) | |
• Total | 48,564 |
| • Density | 8.35/km2 (21.6/sq mi) |
| Demonym | maracajuense |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AMT) |
| Postal code | 79150-000 |
| Area code | +55 67 |
| HDI | 0.736 – high |
| Website | www |
The municipality is among the largest producers of soybeans and corn in the state. It was also an important waypoint for the Noroeste do Brasil Railway, which came from São Paulo via Campo Grande.
The city is known for its traditional Festa da Linguiça de Maracaju (Maracaju Sausage Festival),[5] an event that takes place every year and whose registered trademark is the production of linguiça made from cuts such as sirloin, filet mignon, picanha, top sirloin, and knuckle, with about 30% fat for softness.
The municipality is crossed by BR-267, which is a fundamental axis of the Bioceanic Route, linking southeastern Brazil to Porto Murtinho, where a new international bridge over the Paraguay River will connect Brazil to Paraguay and to the export corridor to ports in Chile; the physical connection of the bridge was completed in July 2026, with the access works remaining.[6] The highway, strategic for the flow of cargo and tourism, is undergoing improvement works to reduce logistical costs and distances for trade between Brazil and Asia, besides being a tourist corridor for the Pantanal, Bonito, and the Atacama Desert.
It annually hosts Showtec, the agricultural technology and innovation fair of Mato Grosso do Sul, held by the MS Foundation for the Diffusion of Agricultural Technologies, a private non-profit entity created by rural producers to generate and adapt technologies for the agricultural sector of Mato Grosso do Sul.
In 2023, the municipal GDP totaled R$5.92 billion, the fifth largest in Mato Grosso do Sul.[7]
Etymology
"Maracaju" is a term originating from the Tupi language. It means "water of the maraca", through the junction of mbara'ká ("maraca")[8] and 'y ("water, river").[9] It is a reference to the Serra de Maracaju, a geographic feature that lends its name to the municipality.[10] The demonym registered by IBGE is maracajuense.[10]
History
Colonization and formation of the settlement
After the departure of the Spanish Jesuits, whose reductions were dismantled by the action of the bandeirantes from São Paulo, beginning with Antônio Raposo Tavares, in the 17th century, the vacaria region, on the plateau of the Serra de Maracaju, where the municipality is located, was only populated again when Gabriel Francisco Lopes and his brothers Joaquim and José — the latter later known as Guia Lopes — rediscovered those fields, coming from the then province of Minas Gerais and crossing the Paranaíba region.[10] Gabriel Lopes soon brought his father-in-law Antônio Gonçalves Barbosa, who came accompanied by his brother Inocêncio Barbosa and their families, settling on the fields that quickly became famous, attracting new waves of mineiros who, in 1860, settled in the southwestern region of the plateau, founding the nuclei that received the names of Água Fria and Santa Gertrudes.[10]
The invasion of Paraguay on the occasion of the Paraguayan War, in 1864–1870, determined the abandonment of the already cultivated lands and of the extensive pasture fields, where the regular formation of herds was beginning, with the colonists returning to Minas Gerais and to southwestern Mato Grosso until the end of hostilities and the consequent withdrawal of the invaders. João Pedro Fernandes, settled in the place called São Bento, in the current municipality of Sidrolândia, in 1922 moved with his Santa Rosa pharmacy-commerce to the settlement belonging to the municipality of Nioaque, on the right bank of the Brilhante River. Some time later, as a consequence of an outbreak of malaria, he decided to settle in the zone that today comprises the city of Maracaju, installing his pharmacy there, thus meeting the appeal of the inhabitants of the surroundings. The foundation of the nucleus that today is the city of Maracaju dates from 1923.[10]
An enlightening and enterprising spirit, João Pedro Fernandes understood the need to install a school that would fill the gap then existing. With the support of the region's residents, he organized the "Society for the Incentive of Instruction of Maracaju", installed on December 25, 1923. Nestor Pires Barbosa donated 204 hectares of land to the society, for the special purpose of building houses there to shelter the children who attended the school. Later, another 415 hectares were acquired, located on the banks of the Mont'Alvão stream, and a building was then erected for the operation of the school. The new settlement that thus arose received the name of Maracaju, the toponym of the plateau and the mountain range where it was located.[10]
The first residents of the Maracaju region were João Pedro Fernandes, Francisco Bernardes Ferreira, dona Fé Fernandes, Marcos dos Santos, José Pereira da Rosa, Gilberto Teixeira Alves, José Adrião Juquita, Antônio José Ferreira, Melanio Garcia Barbosa, José Pereira da Rosa Filho, Antonio Ferreira Ribeiro, Vitor Constantino Evanof, Antônio Aracaju, Saraiva Pereira da Rosa, Firmo Garcia de Limo, Olimpio Camargo, Bartolomeu Bueno da Costa, Abadio Romualdo, João Batista Pereira da Rosa, João Galberto Ferreira, Manoel Retamoso, Carlos Ferreira Tito, Arakaki Tokiti, and Delfino Pereira Antonio.
Administrative formation
The district of Maracaju was created by state resolution no. 912, of July 8, 1924, subordinate to the municipality of Nioaque.[10] The growing development of the locality, in a few years of existence, determined its elevation to the category of village with territory detached from that of Nioaque, by state law no. 987, of July 7, 1928, with its seat in the old settlement of Josinópolis; the installation occurred on September 7, 1928. The same law transferred to Maracaju the seat of the comarca of Nioaque, with the municipality that gave it its name being reduced to a termo of the same comarca. The first municipal mayor who took office on the date of its installation was João Pedro Fernandes, one of the main founders of the city, who on that same date received the electric lighting in inaugural operation. State law no. 1,031, of October 1, 1929, elevated the then settlement to the category of city and gave the name of Maracaju to the comarca of Nioaque, seated in Maracaju.[10]
Decree no. 115, of December 31, 1937, as an economic measure, reduced the comarca of Maracaju to a termo of Campo Grande. In the legal and administrative division of the state in force on December 31, 1937, only the municipality of Maracaju appears, with two districts: the homonymous one, as seat, and that of Vista Alegre, created by resolution no. 892, of July 13, 1923. In 1941, the Banco do Brasil branch was installed in the city and, on April 25, 1944, the Noroeste do Brasil Railway inaugurated the Maracaju railway station, located three kilometers from the city — achievements that greatly contributed to its further development (the first passenger train would have arrived only in 1946), and the line remained active until June 1, 1996.[11][12]
By force of federal decree-law no. 5,839, of September 21, 1943, the municipality came to constitute, together with others, the Federal Territory of Ponta Porã, being reincorporated into the state of Mato Grosso in 1946, by determination of the transitional constitutional provisions that extinguished the mentioned territory. As a federal territory, the city of Maracaju was designated as its capital, a determination that was later transferred to the city of Ponta Porã. By federal decree-law no. 9,055, of March 12, 1946, the district of Vista Alegre took the name of Ervânia; in the territorial division of 1949–1953, the municipality of Maracaju was constituted of two districts: that of the seat and that of Ervânia (formerly Vista Alegre). By state law no. 1,176, of December 16, 1958, the district of Ervânia was renamed Vista Alegre.[10]
From 1972 onward, Dutch immigrants began to arrive, and the municipality became the cradle of Dutch immigration in the state. In 1977, the municipality became part of the current state of Mato Grosso do Sul, created by federal complementary law no. 31, of October 11 of that year.[13]
Geography
Location
The municipality of Maracaju is situated in the south of the Center-West region of Brazil, in southwestern Mato Grosso do Sul and in the microregion of Dourados.[14] It is located at a latitude of 21º36'50" South and a longitude of 55°10'04" West, about 157 kilometres (98 miles) from Campo Grande by road.[15]
The municipality occupies a surface of 5,396.905 square kilometres (2,083.757 square miles), with a demographic density of 8.35 inhabitants/km² in the 2022 census.[16] Its limits are: to the north, Nioaque, Anastácio and Dois Irmãos do Buriti; to the south, Dourados, Itaporã, and Ponta Porã; to the west, Guia Lopes da Laguna; and to the east, Sidrolândia.[17]
Climate
The municipality is under the influence of a tropical climate (Aw). The predominant climate of the municipality is humid to sub-humid. Annual rainfall varies from 1,500 to 1,750 millimeters, with an annual water surplus of 800 to 1,200 millimeters during five to six months and a water deficit of 350 to 500 millimeters during four months.
Relief and hydrography
The predominance in the municipality of Maracaju is of oxisol (latosol) of clayey texture, with variable natural fertility. Neosols and dark red oxisol also appear.
It lies at an altitude of 384 metres (1,260 feet).[18] The relief is composed of tabular dissected areas in the extreme north, cuestas and hilly dissected areas, as well as south of the municipality. Accompanying these dissected areas, some steep areas are found. The municipality is located in the Region of the Interior Arenitic-Basaltic Plateaus, with the Dourados Plateau unit, and in the Region of the Plateaus of the Western Edge of the Paraná Basin, with the Maracaju Plateau unit. It presents flat relief, generally elaborated by several phases of erosive resumption, with reliefs elaborated by fluvial action.
The municipality is under the influence of the Río de la Plata basin. Main rivers:
- Brilhante River – forming river, with the Dourados River, of the Ivinhema River; boundary between the municipalities of Maracaju and Sidrolândia and between Maracaju and Rio Brilhante.
- Santa Maria River – tributary, on the right bank, of the Brilhante River, in the municipality of Maracaju; it is born in the Serra de Maracaju and forms the border between the municipality of Maracaju and those of Ponta Porã, Dourados, and Itaporã.
Vegetation
The municipality is located in the region of influence of the cerrado and of the vacaria fields. Planted pasture predominates in the municipality, followed by crops. Remnants of the physiognomies of the Cerrado biome are the campo cerrado and the campo sujo, besides the seasonal forest; although little expressive, they integrate the vegetation cover of the municipality.
Subdivisions
Besides the seat, the municipality is constituted by the district of Vista Alegre.[10]
Demographics
With a population of 45,047 inhabitants in the 2022 census,[20][3] the municipality is the 10th most populous of the state, against 37,405 inhabitants in 2010, which represents a growth of about 20.4% in the intercensal period.[19] Its population density is 8.35 inhabitants per km² (2022), and the IBGE estimate for July 1, 2026 is 48,564 inhabitants.[16][2]
The HDI-M of Maracaju is 0.736, referring to 2010, the 8th highest among the municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul, and the Gini index was 0.54 in the same year.[21]
Economy
With an economy based on agriculture and livestock, Maracaju is one of the municipalities that contribute most to the value of agricultural production in the state. In 2023, the municipal GDP at current prices was R$5.92 billion — the fifth largest in Mato Grosso do Sul —, with a GDP per capita of R$131,446.32.[22][7]
The Municipal Agricultural Production of 2023 recorded 634,920 hectares of planted area or destined for harvest and a total production value of R$4.34 billion. Soybeans occupied 330,000 hectares, with a production value of R$3.22 billion, and corn occupied 290,000 hectares, with R$1.03 billion.[23][24] In livestock, the cattle herd registered by the Municipal Livestock Survey was 133,757 head in 2023.[25]
Commerce
The commerce and services of the municipality also meet the demand of the neighboring municipalities of the southwestern region of the state.
Infrastructure
Urbanization
The municipality is pointed out as the only one in Mato Grosso do Sul with 100% of the streets of its urban perimeter paved.
| Households of Maracaju[26] | |
|---|---|
| Total households | 11,072 households |
| Private households | 11,047 (99.77%) |
| Collective households | 25 (0.23%) |
| Households by per capita income[27] | |
| More than 5 minimum wages | 3.33% |
| From 2 to 5 minimum wages | 12.39% |
| From 1 to 2 minimum wages | 26.52% |
| From 0.5 to 1 minimum wage | 33.35% |
| From 0.25 to 0.5 minimum wages | 17.14% |
| Up to 0.25 minimum wages or no income | 7.28% |
| Distribution of social classes[27] | |
| Class A | 3.33% |
| Class B | 12.39% |
| Class C | 59.87% |
| Class D | 17.14% |
| Class E | 7.28% |
| Upper class (A–B) | 15.72% |
| Middle class (C–D) | 64.60% |
| Consumer class (A–B–C–D) | 77.01% |
| Peripheral class (E) | 7.28% |
Education
In the 2022 census, the literacy rate of people aged 15 or over was 95.60%.[28] In higher education, the municipality has a unit of the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), with undergraduate courses in Administration, Agronomy, and Pedagogy.[29]
Health
The health network of the municipality has as its main unit the Soriano Corrêa da Silva Hospital, a medium-sized philanthropic hospital with about 60 active beds, which serves the public (SUS) and private networks in the specialties of internal medicine, surgical clinic, orthopedics, pediatrics, and gynecology and obstetrics.[30] The hospital's emergency room operates with expanded service capacity, with 11 observation beds.[31]
Sanitation
The water supply and sanitary sewage of the urban area of the municipality are operated by Sanesul, the state concessionaire that holds the concession of these services in 68 of the 79 municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul, among which Maracaju.[32]
Transport
The main road access to the municipality is BR-267, which integrates the Bioceanic Route and connects the Southeast region of Brazil to Porto Murtinho, on the border with Paraguay.[6] The Maracaju railway station, inaugurated on April 25, 1944, by the Noroeste do Brasil Railway, operated until June 1, 1996.[12]
Politics
In its political-administrative history, the following figure as municipal administrators, succeeding each other chronologically: Basílio Braum, Jovino Faustino Silvério, major J. Carlos de Araújo e Silva, João Pedro Fernandes, Manoel Ferreira de Lima, Francisco Bernardes, Sebastião Alves Corrêa, replaced in 1955 by Domingos Marcondes Terra and, later, Aristides Martins Barbosa, Sebastião Corrêa Bueno, Francisco Bernardes Ferreira, Lourival Duarte de Alvarenga, Luiz Gonzaga Prata Braga, Jair do Couto, and, on November 15, 1988, Luiz Gonzaga Prata Braga was elected municipal mayor, taking office in the municipal executive on January 1, 1989. Rogério Lopes Posser was elected on October 3, 1992, and sworn in on January 1, 1993.
From 1997 to 2004, Reinaldo Azambuja, of the PSDB (governor of the state between 2015 and 2022), held the office for two consecutive terms. From 2005 to 2008, the mayor was the physician Maurilio Azambuja, of the PMDB. From 2009 to 2012, the mayor was Celso Luiz da Silva Vargas, elected by the PTB. The current mayor (2025–2028) is José Marcos Calderan, of the PSDB.[1]
Religion
According to the 2010 census of the IBGE, the population of Maracaju is formed by religious groups such as Christians (88.74%), being Catholics (61.40%), mission evangelicals (4.99%), Pentecostal evangelicals (13.64%), restorationists (0.86%), and other Christians (7.68%). There are also reincarnationists (1.03%), Eastern religions (0.30%), esoteric traditions (0.12%), undetermined (1.98%), and non-religious people (8.01%).[33][34]
Christians
It is by far the largest religious group present in the municipality, totaling 88.74% of its inhabitants.[33][34]
Catholics
The Catholic Church recognizes as patroness of the city Our Lady of Aparecida. The municipality is part of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions of the West I Region (which serves Mato Grosso do Sul) and, according to the division resolved by the Catholic Church, belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Campo Grande, more precisely to the Diocese of Dourados, being the seat of one parish. Its bishop, since 2001, is Dom Redovino Rizzardo. Maracaju has 61.40% of its inhabitants in this group, with Roman Apostolic Catholics at 60.55%, the Brazilian Apostolic Catholic Church at 0.81%, and Orthodox Catholics at 0.04%.[33][34]
- Temples
- Mother Church of Our Lady of Aparecida
- Mother Church of Our Lady Help of Christians
Protestants
Although its development took place over an eminently Catholic social matrix, both due to colonization and immigration, it is currently possible to find dozens of different Protestant denominations in the city. According to data from the 2010 census carried out by IBGE, the local population was composed of 25.93% Protestants.[33][34]
Mission evangelicals
Mission evangelicals total 4.99% of the population. Of these, 0.81% are Lutherans, 0.93% are Presbyterians, 2.79% are Baptists, 0.17% are Congregational evangelicals, and 0.29% are Adventists.[33][34]
Pentecostal and neopentecostal evangelicals
Pentecostal and neopentecostal evangelicals total 13.64% of the population. Of this total are part the Assemblies of God (3.39%), the Christian Congregation in Brazil (1.15%), the Four Square Gospel Church (0.95%), the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (1.60%), the God is Love Pentecostal Church (0.86%), the Evangelical Community (0.44%), and others (5.25%).[33][34]
Restorationists
Represented by 0.86% of the inhabitants, it covers The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with 0.50% of the population, and the Jehovah's Witnesses, with 0.36%.[33][34]
Other Christians
In Maracaju there are also Christians of other denominations, represented by 7.68% of the inhabitants. Of these, 7.31% are from other evangelical churches and 0.37% are from other Christian religiosities.[33][34]
Other denominations
The municipality is represented by various other creeds, with religions of various other denominations also existing. They are:
Reincarnationists
They comprise 1.03% of the total, with 0.94% Spiritists and 0.09% spiritualists.[33][34]
Afro-Brazilian
They comprise 0.06% of the total, with 0.04% Umbanda and 0.02% other religiosities.[33][34]
Eastern or Asian
With 0.30% of the total, divided between Judaism (0.02%), Hinduism (0.02%), Buddhism (0.16%), the World Messianic Church (0.05%), and other Eastern religions (0.05%).[33][34]
Esoteric traditions
Undetermined
Undetermined options account for 1.98% of the population, with the poorly defined at 1.71% and those who do not know at 0.27%.[33][34]
Non-religious
The group of non-religious people accounts for 8.01% of the inhabitants, with 7.57% being convinced non-religious, 0.25% atheists, and 0.19% agnostics.[33][34]
Tourism and culture
It is known as the capital of linguiça. The typical delicacy, known as Linguiça de Maracaju, unlike the traditional ones made of pork, is prepared artisanally using beef, a recipe developed by its citizens. Every year the Festa da Linguiça de Maracaju is held. With a special recipe, the sausage became famous when it entered the Guinness World Records as the largest continuous sausage in the world. In 2005, twenty tonnes of this delicacy were produced. The anniversary of the municipality is celebrated on June 11.[5]
The city also hosts the Festa de São Sebastião (Feast of Saint Sebastian).
Festivals
- Festa da Linguiça – traditional festival to which people come from the whole region, neighboring states, and Mercosur countries.
- Expomara – agricultural and livestock fair.
Cinema
The film Caingangue, a Pontaria do Diabo was produced in the city in 1973. The main role (Caingangue) was starred by David Cardoso (also a maracajuense).[35]
Notable residents
- David Cardoso – actor and filmmaker
- Délio & Delinha – sertanejo duo
- Walter de Castro – physician, rancher, and politician
- The carioca musician Rogerio Skylab lived in Maracaju for 28 years of his life, working as a bank clerk at a Banco do Brasil branch.
