History and laws of the Serra de Jaraguá
The mountain that dominates the landscape has been a state park since 1998. Besides nature, it protects two archaeological sites registered by IPHAN, with a petroglyph and the ruins of the town's first chapel.
Park laws and rules
| Rule | What it does |
|---|---|
| State Law no. 13,247, of January 13, 1998 | Creates the Serra de Jaraguá Ecological Park. |
| Decree no. 7,604, of 2012 | Sets the boundaries (according to Semad). |
| Law no. 18,844, of June 10, 2015 | Changes the name and boundaries: it becomes the Serra de Jaraguá State Park (PESJ). |
| Ordinance no. 139, of June 30, 2026 | Approves the park's Management Plan (check the text on Semad's official site). |
The Management Plan is the document that sets the park's zones, what may and may not be done in each, and how visiting should work.
The park in numbers
- Area: 2,828.66 hectares, in Jaraguá and São Francisco de Goiás.
- Management: Semad, through its Conservation Units Superintendency.
- Distance from Goiânia: 121 km via the GO-080.
- Free entry, with no restriction for independent visits; groups and technical visits need booking through the Goiás government authorizations portal.
The São Januário archaeological site
IPHAN catalogued the São Januário archaeological site, about 7.5 km from town, along the slope known as São Januário. It includes:
- a petroglyph, with rock engravings that archaeologists associate with peoples of the Goya tribe;
- the ruins of the Chapel of São José, from 1748, considered the town's first chapel.
Semad reports signs of a horticultural group with Indigenous traits in the area and says IPHAN is mapping the site to define a visiting route. Meanwhile, do not remove, scratch or move anything, and ask the park administration whether guided access is available. Goiás tourism material also mentions tunnels dug by enslaved people in the region.
Gold and the churches
The Serra is part of the gold-rush scenery. The region was opened up by the expedition of Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, who found gold and began settlement. The Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, from 1776, the municipality's second church, stands at the foot of the Serra, and the 5 km dirt road to the ramp starts from there. See the timeline and museums and heritage.
Administration contacts
Semad superintendency: +55 62 3201-5295; e-mail pesj.meioambiente@goias.gov.br. Call before organizing a group or research visit.
Keep exploring
Sources: Semad/Parques de Goiás, Serra de Jaraguá State Park page (laws, archaeological site, contacts); Goiás state government, tourism material on Jaraguá. Consulted in October 2026.
Updated on October 19, 2026