Campina Grande's origins lie in the conquest by the Portuguese of a Cariri indian village in 1697. It became a city in1864. Its growth came about due to European mercantile expansion in large agricultural properties in the colonies, which produced: cattle, sugar cane, manioc, sisal and notably, cotton, as well as subsistence agriculture. In 1936 the Mayor, Vergniaud Wanderley began the polemical modernization of the city, which already had 100,000 inhabitants. A series of decrees for the implantation of basic infrastructure (piped water, basic sanitation, electricity) were accompanied by radical urban transformation. This included alterations in the city plan and almost total demolition of the colonial architecture and the eclectic styled tenements. Maciel Pinheiro Street The 30s The 40s The 50s The 60s The 70s The 80s