The municipal district of Gravatá had its origins in a farm, which in 1808, belonging to José Justino Carreiro de Miranda, served as a lodging place for travellers and sold mainly sugar and beef. Travelling along the river Ipojuca from Recife towards the inside of the country was difficult in those times. The merchants were forced to make strategic stops to avoid the cattle losing weight. One of those resting-places was known as "Crauatá", derived from the Tupi name "Karawata" (mato que fura) for the place, due to the predominance of a plant belonging to the family of the bromélias, also called Caraguatá, Caroatá, Caróa and Gravatá.