Adib Shishakli
Ceres began in 1941 when the Getulio Vargas government created an agricultural colony called Colônia Agrícola Nacional de Goiás – CANG established on the banks of the left bank of the Rio Almas. 26-32-hectare lots were distributed along with seeds and tools, while free medical and dental care was promised to the new settlers. Each area had to preserve 25% of the land in forest. A house was given to each settler. The head of this project was an engineer named Bernardo Sayão, one of the pioneers of modern Goiás. The city of Ceres has its origin in this colony, which at the time attracted migrants from all over the country, attracted by the offers of free land in a fertile valley. In 1947 there were already 10,000 inhabitants. In 1943 Ceres was a district in the municipality of Goiás, separating in 1953 to become a municipality. Adib Shishakli, Syria's ex-president, was assassinated in his exile in Ceres by a Syrian Druze, Nawaf Ghazaleh.