=São Leopoldo=, a state colony, was founded in 1824. The first settlers
came from the Hunsrück section. To-day its population is estimated at
more than 50,000, mostly of German descent.[32] We may designate São
Leopoldo as the center of the "Deutschbrasilianerthum" of Rio Grande do
Sul.
The state colonies of =Tres Forquilhas= and =São Pedro de Alcantara das
Torres= were founded in 1826. The former was settled by German
Protestants, the latter by German Catholics.
=Santa Cruz=, a state colony, was founded in 1849. Its first settlers
were mainly from Pomerania and the Rheinland.
Next in order there followed an important period of private
colonization. As a result of this we have =Rincão d'El Rei=, founded in
1850 by Dr. Israel R. Barcellos; =Mundo Novo=, founded in 1850 by
Tristão José Monteiro; =Conventos=, founded in 1853 by Baptista F.
Pereira e Cie.; =Estrella=, founded in 1856 by Santos Pinto; =Mariante=,
founded in 1856; and =Maratá= founded in 1856 by Andreas Kochenborger
and Pedro Schreiner.
In the year 1857 two provincial colonies were founded, i.e., =Santo
Angelo= and =Nova Petropolis=.
The year 1858 marked the second period of private colonization. In that
year =São Lourenço= was founded by Jakob Rheingantz. The first settlers
of this colony were Pomeranians and natives of the Rheinland. In the
same year =Teutonia= was founded by a group of capitalists of Porto
Alegre.[33]
The last period of strictly provincial colonization is marked by the
founding of =Monte Alverne= in 1859 and of =São Feliciano= in 1867.
In the most recent period a number of colonies supported by both the
state and central governments have been founded. Of these the following
have been settled largely by Germans; =Guarany=, founded in 1891;
=Ijuhy=,[34] founded in 1891; and =Erechim=, founded in 1909.[35] In
addition, Dr. Hermann Meyer's private colonies of =Xingú= and =Neu
Württemberg= were founded in this period; the former in 1897 and the
latter in 1899.
The German element is very strongly represented in the important cities
of Porto Alegre and Pelotas as well as in the "municipios" of São João
de Montenegro, São Sebastião do Cahy (now includes Nova Petropolis),
Venancio Ayres, Lageado, Taquara, Cruz Alta and Palmeiro.
Rio Grande do Sul has a much larger population of German descent than
any other state in Brazil. The main reason why so many Germans settled
in this state we may attribute to the climatic conditions which are here
more favorable to Germanic peoples than in any other section of the
country.