ABSTRACT
In 1979, many local merchants were already discussing the possibility of leaving Santa Terezinha to relocate at a proposed new settlement along the BR 158. In 1980, Santa Terezinha had won its battle to secede from Luciara and had become the seat of its own municipality—a political victory of considerable significance. The BR 158 had been completed, and Santa Terezinha was linked to it by a feeder road. A new city, Vila Rica, had grown up north of the intersection between the feeder road and the BR 158, some 80 kilometers from Santa Terezinha. People pointed proudly to the growth of the town, and indeed, I was surprised to find that the population had increased from 1,930 in 1979 to approximately 3,350 by the end of 1987. Business growth was not as dramatic. The total number of businesses had increased from 88 in 1979 to 96 in 1987—only 9 percent more.
