Taubaté

Taubaté is a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Taubaté was part of the ancient Tupinamba Territory, along the Paraiba do Sul River. The Tupinamba Territory in the 16th century, stretched from the Juqueriquerê River on the shores of Caraguatatuba to the Cape of Saint Thomas (Cabo de São Tomé) in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The first village was created in 1640 being proclaimed as an autonomous locality on December 5, 1645, by a pioneer named Jacques Felix. It was the first location in the Vale do Paraiba region to obtain autonomy. The locality got its current city status in 1842. By that time, it was one of the most important coffee production centers in the country, hosting the Taubaté's Agreement in 1906. In 1908, the city was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Taubaté. In 1900 it was the largest city in the interior of São Paulo. The county name comes from the Guarani language and means village (taba) high (ybaté).