the municipality of cáceres (86,805 inhabitants in 2008; 24,399 sq. km) is located in the south-west of mato grosso, on the border with bolivia. cáceres is part of the pantanal flood plain, considered as the world's biggest wetland and inscribed in 2000 as a unesco world heritage site (as pantanal conservation area).
cáceres was founded on 6 october 1778 by order of the fourth governor and captain general of mato grosso, lu's de albuquerque de melo pereira e cáceres. originally named vila-maria do paraguai, for queen mary of portugal, the town was renamed são luís de cáceres in 1874, when granted the municipal status; the name was eventually shortened to cáceres in 1938.
the flag and arms of cáceres are prescribed by law no. 1,933 of 28 april 2005.
the flag is divided green-blue by a yellow bend; overall a white rectangle is charged with the municipal coat of arms. the coat of arms of cáceres is made of a yellow shield surmounted by a mural crown argent, placed on a white hide flanked by two trees; the name of the town is written above the parchment, while a green scroll placed under the shield bears the town's motto, "ad sum" , in black letters. the shield is charged with four blue waves and a blue triangle inscribing a white monument surmounted by a cross.
the hide recalls that cáceres is a main center of cattle breeding, today the main source of income. cáceres is the site of an alligator farm, the first in south america with a meat-freezing unit (officially approved on 1 july 2008). the trees are "araputangas", the portuguese (and spanish) name of the brazilian mahogany (swietenia macrophylla king), a timber tree listed as "vulnerable" in its native areas by iucn. the five-towered mural crown says that cáceres is a second-rank town. the motto "ad sum" (latin, "i am here") recalls that cáceres is a border town. yellow represents the natural resources and, more specifically, pantanal. the four waves represent rivers paraguai, sepotuba, jaurú and cabaçal. the monument is the jaurú border stone; erected on 18 january 1754 on the right bank of river jaurú, it shows the border between the portuguese and spanish empires, as prescribed by the treaty of madrid (13 january 1750). the monument was moved to cáceres and placed in front of the st. louis cathedral on 2 february 1883 (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/marco_do_jauru). it is a well-known symbol of the brazilian sovereignty on the western border.
