Lagarto, Sergipe

Lagarto (Portuguese pronunciation: [laˈgaʁtu]) is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Sergipe , in the Northeast region of the country. It is located in the Center-South region of the State and is one of the largest cities in the interior, with an estimated population, in 2021, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), of 106,015 inhabitants. The third most populous municipality in Sergipe, the city is located 75 km from the capital, Aracaju.
Its geographical location includes 500,000 inhabitants within a circular radius of 50 km, making it a multi-regional hub.
History reveals that the municipal seat is one of the oldest settlements in the state, being the third village created in the captaincy of Sergipe, whose colonization had already been in the territory in 1596. Domingos Fernandes Nobre, Antônio Gonçalves de Santana and Gaspar de Menezes settled in the region, due to the letters of sesmarias, in May of the same year. The colonization of the lands of Lagarto took place in the 18th century, after the arrival of a new group of settlers, which gave rise to cattle farms and sugar mills. Some historians defend the thesis that Lagarto was born in the village of Santo Antônio, six kilometers from the current municipal seat, where the initial marker erected near the chapel that bears the name of the village still exists. They also say that the inhabitants of the time left this location due to an outbreak of smallpox that killed many residents, and settled where the city center is today. There, in 1672, they built a chapel and installed residences around it, where today is the current parish church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade. Around the 18th century, the village already had more than 300 houses and 2,500 inhabitants. Two versions lead to the name of the municipality: the existence of a stone in the shape of a lacertillium, found near a stream; and the record of a coat of arms with the mark of a lizard, left by a family of Portuguese nobles.
Located 75 km from the capital, Lagarto has an area of 969.2 km², home to more than 106 thousand inhabitants, divided between urban and rural areas.
With an economy involving multiple sectors, such as agriculture, based mainly on the cultivation of beans, oranges, tobacco and cassava; beef cattle; sheep farming; trade and industry, Lagarto is a highly productive region, where what is planted yields good results. The division of lands, which occurred during the colonization period, led to the creation of cooperatives, such as the institution established in Colony 13, founded in 1960, which allowed production by settlers in all directions. According to Luiz Antonio Barreto, the area was so well divided that, in 1757, when the vicars made reports and gave news of the parishes of Sergipe, the one in Lagarto attracted attention, since the settlements were very close to each other, about a league and a half or half a league apart, which explains the existence of more than a hundred settlements. As a reserve of natural resources, it has clay, limestone and stones for the production of gravel and cobblestones.
Lagarto was also the seat of one of the three military districts of Sergipe in 1658. Its elevation from parish to town occurred in 1698, two years after the creation of the Autonomous Ouvidoria of Sergipe. It became a city on April 20, 1880, the official date of its elevation to city status. Its lands also gave rise to other municipalities, such as Riachão do Dantas and Simão Dias.
The first municipal governor was Monsignor João Batista de Carvalho Daltro, who served his term from 1890 to 1893.
It is located at latitude 10º55'02" south and longitude 37º39'00 " west , at an altitude of 183 meters. It has an area of 1,036 km² and is situated in the agreste microregion of Lagarto. The hydrography of the municipality is composed of the Vaza-Barris , Piauí, Jacaré, Piauitinga de Cima, Machado and Caiçá rivers, and the Oiti, Pombos, Flexas and Urubutinga streams. In its soil, there are explored and unexplored mineral riches: clay , limestone , marble , sulfur and facing stones. Its preservation area is the pools of the village of Brejo and the Balneário Bica (natural spring in the urban perimeter).
Today, there are more than 100 villages that make up the municipality. The main ones are Colony Thirteen , Açuzinho, Açu, Caraíbas, Brasilia, Marsh, Jenipapo, Gameleiro, Urubutinga, Araças, Estancinha, Big Vulture, Boa Vista do Vulture, Coconut Tree, Oxpecker, Warbler from Below, Warbler from Above, Tapera dos Modestos, Deep River from Above, Deep River from Below, Caracara, Candeal, Arrowheads, Quipé, Bonfim, Quilombo, Tile, Pururuca, Santo Antonio, Taperinha, Itaperinha, Tank, Curralinho, Crioulo Field, Tiger Bag, Round Bag, Hawk, Oiteiros, Turtle Floodplain, Marsh, Round Thicket, Big Farm, Tapera do Saco, Mansion, Foot of the Qui Mountain, Luis Freire, Mangabeira, Cow River, Water Eyes, Pindoba, Madanela, Red Clay, Lemon Tree, Fundão, etc.
The population of Lagarto is mixed, with a predominance of Portuguese ancestry.
The 2010 census shows that 48.46% of the population lives in rural areas , while urban areas account for 51.54%. The male population is 49.02%, and the female population is 50.98%. There are 33,532 households.
In Lagarto, the main economic activities are tobacco and citrus cultivation. Cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and poultry are also raised. The tobacco industry drives the economy of the municipality, with more than half of its production being exported to other states.
Commerce is one of the main economic means and Centrosul Shopping is being implemented.
Access is via the Lagarto Bus Terminal , with state and interstate lines.
The municipality of Lagarto is served by Highways BR-349, SE-270, SE-170, SE-160
The schools in Lagarto strongly encourage culture and every year the Municipal Department of Education and Culture organizes the traditional Civic-Military Parade of Lagarto, in which schools from both the public and private networks participate. The schools that stand out are: Public – Frei Cristóvão de Santo Hilário Municipal School, Zezé Rocha Municipal School, Professor Abelardo Romero Dantas State School (Multipurpose), Adelina Maria de Santana Souza Municipal School, Silvio Romero State School (the oldest in the city), Dom Mário Rino Sivieri State School, Federal Institute of Sergipe (Former UNED). Private – Nossa Senhora da Piedade School (Nuns' College), Former Cenecista Laudelino Freire School , Pequeno Príncipe School Union, José Augusto Vieira Foundation, and Colégio Mundial.
Higher education institutions: Dom Pedro II College (formerly José Augusto Vieira), Vale do Acaraú University, Tiradentes University (EAD), Ages College, Federal Institute of Sergipe and the Advanced Health Campus of the Federal University of Sergipe.
Professional education institutions: SENAC - National Commercial Training Service and SENAI.
It is characteristic of schools to hold parallel events and parades at different times of the year: Float parades, ballet presentations, educational projects, lectures, among others.
In 2008, the city of Lagarto received the Education Grade 10 Award from the Ayrton Senna Institute , due to its important work in education, both in the public and private networks.
In 2009, the municipality joined the Proinfo Program (National Program for Technology in Education), equipping around 80% of the schools in the municipal network with Proinfo Rural, Proinfo Urban and Multifunctional Resource Room Kits. At the same time, teachers from all schools selected in the aforementioned Program were trained through Proinfo Integrado.
It currently has the Lagarto Regional Hospital, which serves part of the population of the Central-West region of the state and cities in Bahia close to the SE/BA border, in addition to the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital. The city also has two Family Health Clinics and other health centers, including: Maria do Carmo Nascimento Alves Health Center, Leandro Maciel Diagnostic Center - Posto do Leite, Monsenhor Daltro Specialized Center, Brasília Village Health Unit, Jenipapo Village Health Unit, Colônia Treze Health Unit, and Mariquita Health Unit.
Many folk groups are part of the city's culture, such as :
In the religious field, the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church has the largest flock of faithful in the city, consisting of 6 parishes: Our Lady of Mercy (Center), Santa Luzia (Pov. Colônia Treze), Our Lady of Graces (Pov. Jenipapo) and Our Lady of Fátima (São José Neighborhood - Conj. Loiola), Santa Luzia (Alto da Boa Vista Neighborhood) and Santa Teresinha do Menino Jesus (Novo Horizonte Neighborhood), all of these linked to the Diocese of Estância . A relevant aspect of the artistic and religious heritage is the image of the city's Patroness, Our Lady of Mercy, who was canonically crowned by order of Pope John Paul II , with only three other parishes in Brazil crowned in this way. The three-hundred-year-old Parish of Piedade stands out for its numerous priestly vocations, being the birthplace of three bishops: Dom Dulcênio Fontes de Matos , Dom João José da Costa , O. Carm and Dom Paulo Celso Dias, as well as dozens of priests. It is worth mentioning the presence of three religious orders in the city, which provide important social services: the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Pious Teachers Rosa Venerini, who work in the field of education, and the Religious Sisters of Camillians, who work in the field of health. Religious events such as processions, novenas, concerts and fairs bring life to the city. Also worthy of note is the role of the Protestant Christian Churches, which also carry out excellent evangelization work, through services, visits or meetings, as well as holding events such as the Baptist Cathedral Congress, the Jonas Project and Lagospel Music. The Baptist Church, the Assembly of God Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church , Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Presbyterian Church, the Foursquare Church, the World Church of the Power of God, the Church of Christ Mission Mount Sinai and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God are present in Lagarto. Spiritists and religions of African origin are also present in the municipality.
In the municipality of Lagarto, there are important tourist attractions: Dionízio de Araújo Machado Dam, the edge of the Dionísio de Araújo Machado dam, in Lagarto, promises to be one of the great tourist works of the municipality, Dr. Filomeno Hora Square, Pedra da Arara, Cachoeira do Saboeiro, Parque das Palmeiras (former Bonfim Farm), Boa Vista da Cajazeira Farm (for its imposing 19th century mansion in colonial style), local rivers and the Marian Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy (where there is an image of La Pietá, the like of which is only in Spain, crowned with the authorization of His Holiness Pope John Paul II). There are also annual festivals of state and national renown, such as: LaGospel Music, Lagarto Folia, Cilibrina (one of the most traditional in the Northeast, with over 80 years of tradition), Cassava Festival, Vaquejada de Lagarto, Lagarto Agricultural Exhibition (From 2016 it is called EXPOLAGARTO), Civic-Military Parade, Patron Saint Festival, Forroreta, Madereta, the traditional Christmases of the Villages.