In the 18th century the region of the modern state Rio Grande do Sul was a
trade route between the cities Sorocaba and Colônia do Sacramento. Various colonists
created cattle ranches and plantations here. In 1725, Cosme da Silveira, a
member of Captain João de Magalhães' fleet, settled in the Viamão region. He
was joined by Francisco Carvalho da Cunha in 1741, who created the Estância
Grande site, where the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Immaculate
Conception) would be built. In 1747, the colony was declared a civil parish.
With the Spanish invasion of 1766, it became necessary to install a government