The history of Iraquara begins more than 12 thousand years ago, when many prehistoric, nomadic peoples from the most varied regions known today as Goiás, Pernambuco, Além São Francisco, Minas Gerais and many others regions passed through this site.
These people left inside caves and abundant shelters – which were made of limestone formation – signs of their presence through rupestrian paintings, fossils and archeological records. Settlers started to arrive to the region in the middle of the 19th century, attracted by its diamonds, panning for its riches that have originated many villages.
The gold and diamond exploitation created a road that cut through Chapada Diamantina in the north/south direction, connecting Jacobina to Rio de Contas and passing through the municipalities of Iraquara and Seabra. This road is known as Estrada Real and is in the process of being listed as Historical Patrimony.
The presence of diamonds in these parts led to the development of these villages that today preserve the colonial atmosphere, customs and habits of a hospitable and friendly people.
The discovery of a well with abundant water in the bed of the Água de Rega stream, by a horseman drover named Manoel Félix, gave rise to a village, which later became the city of Iraquara.
Iraquara has several natural attractions, ideal for the practice of outdoor sports and adventure ecotourism. Every year thousands of people visit Chapada Diamantina in search of the best in terms of sport and leisure with nature.
The city has the largest speleological collection in South America, that is, the largest concentration of caves is under the territory of Iraquara, due to a subsoil with a high content of limestone.
The villages belonging to the Iraquara region inherited beautiful and important colonial buildings from the mining period.
The mountainous scenery of the Iraquara region is home to an extraordinary variety of ecosystems such as the Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Rupestrian Fields and Caatinga. Bromeliads and orchids found a privileged environment here, adapting to differences in climate, altitude and soil.