 The area was first came to outside attention in 1675 when the "bandeirante" Castanho Taques discovered sulfurous waters here and baptized the region "Serra do Salitre", sulfur being a common ingredient to make gunpowder.The settlement was named Sao Sebastiao da Serra do Salitre.Later, the small town lost a large part of its population when many families moved to build the new capital of Brasília.