Aracati, Ceará, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of Aracati ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History
The first inhabitants of the lands of Aracati, the Potyguara Indians, probably came into contact with the Europeans on February 2, 1500, through the Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, who had arrived at the place called Ponta Grossa or Jabarana, according to the historian Tomás Pompeu de Souza Brazil.

The definitive occupation of Aracati began with the operation of workshops or charqueadas in Ceará, which were responsible for enabling the competitiveness of livestock in the state, in view of the privileges of the Zona da Mata of Pernambuco with the sugarcane culture. Aracati then became a producer of jerky and the main port for exporting this product to the sugarcane regions, in addition to continuing to be a military support point (Fortim de Aracati), now with the aim of protecting the port, merchants and inhabitants against attacks by Indians such as the Payacu.

The toponym Aracati comes from the Tupi language. It means "good air, good weather", by the junction of ara (air, weather) and katu (good). Known initially in the small village of São José dos Barcos do Porto dos Barcos do Jaguaribe, later elevated to the category of village with the name of Santa Cruz do Aracati, today the city of Aracati.

On February 10, 1748, it was elevated to the status of a village (official act). In the same year, a pillory was erected and the chamber was sworn in.

In 1770, the Casa da Câmara and the Jail were built on Rua do Comércio, formerly Rua das Flores.

In 1779, Aracati had about 2 thousand people, five streets and many houses and more than seventy stores.

In 1829, a proposal was presented at the General Assembly of Ceará that intended to transfer the seat of the Government of the Captaincy to Vila de Aracati, but the proposal was rejected.

On October 25, 1842, the village was elevated to city status by Provincial Law 244.

Local Offices
1º ofício de registro civil das pessoas naturais e anexos Cartório Costa Lima Av. Cel. Alexanzito, 863 Centro Aracati Aracati 62800-000 Ceará Telephone/Fax: (0xx88) 3421-1046 Email: costalima1oficio@bol.com.br

Online Resources

 * 1725-1971 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Local Churches
Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Brancos Or, simply Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário, is a Catholic sanctuary that is the headquarters of the Parish of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, the cathedral of Aracati. Along with the Historic Center of Aracati, it was listed by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) in April 2000. Created in 1785. Rua Cel. Pompeu, 558 Centro 62800-000 Aracati Ceará Telephone: (88) 3433-4070

Cemeteries
Cemitério de Municipal Tv. Sr. do Bonfim, 70-142 Farias Brito 62800-000 Aracati Ceará

Cemitério de Canoa Quebrada Rua Descida da Praia, 1459-1473 Canoa quebrada 62800-000 Aracati Ceará

Other Institutions
Prefeitura Municipal R. Santos Dumont, 1146 Centro 62800-000 Telephone: (88) 3421-1050 E-mail: ouvidoriageral@aracati.ce.gov.br Website: https://aracati.ce.gov.br/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prefeituradoaracati Twitter: https://twitter.com/prefAracati Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prefeituradoaracatioficial/