Cantagalo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌkɐ̃tɐˈɡalu]), formerly spelled Cantagallo,[2][3] is a city located in the east-central area of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Colonization of Cantagalo began in 1755, when Portuguese nobleman Manoel Henriques, Duke of Terso and a clandestine gold miner, left the state of Minas Gerais in search of unexplored riches.

Henriques and his group erected a settlement[citation needed] on a small tributary of the Parahyba approximately 80 miles (129 km) northwest of Rio[2] and began exploring along the local rivers.

A troop was about to return to their camp after a day of searching in vain around the woods, when a soldier heard the crowing of a rooster nearby and decided to further explore the area.

[3] Nowadays, the city's economic activities still revolve around agriculture, with the exploration of granite and calcareous rock for the cement industry also playing a strong role.