Guaraci (also spelled Quaraci, Coaraci, or Coraci) is a term of Tupi-Guarani origin that primarily refers to the personification of the Sun in Tupi-Guarani mythology, and is also the name of a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
Mythology
In Tupi-Guarani mythology, Guaraci (from Tupi kûarasy, meaning "sun") is the representation of the Sun. According to some accounts, Guaraci is understood as a life-giving entity and creator of all living beings, reflecting the essential role of the Sun in biological processes. Linguistically, the term has been hypothesized by scholars to derive from the combination of kó ("this"), ara ("day"), and sy ("mother"), collectively meaning "mother of this day" or "mother of this daylight."
In the syncretic mythological framework that became widespread after European contact, Guaraci is described as one of the sons of Tupã (the supreme creator deity associated with thunder) and is presented as the brother and consort of Jaci, the Moon goddess. In this narrative, Guaraci assisted Tupã in the creation of all living beings and serves as the guardian of creatures during the day. His counterpart, Jaci, rules the night. Their symbolic meeting at dawn and dusk is considered a sacred transition.
However, scholars such as Luís da Câmara Cascudo have noted that the organized indigenous theogony describing a structured pantheon with Tupã as supreme god and Guaraci as his son was largely systematized by later writers (notably José de Anchieta and Couto de Magalhães) and that evidence of widespread astrolatric (sun-worship) cults among indigenous Brazilian peoples is limited. Among the Mbyá-Guarani people, the primary primordial figure is Ñamandu (Nhanderuvuçú), and the Sun is referred to as Kuaray in everyday language and Nhamandu in spiritual contexts.
Guaraci is sometimes compared to solar deities from other cultures, such as Apollo (Greco-Roman), Rá (Egyptian), and Surya (Hindu).
Municipality of Guaraci, São Paulo
Guaraci is also a municipality in the northern part of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, integrated into the Metropolitan Region of São José do Rio Preto. The municipality covers an area of 641.50 km² and had an estimated population of approximately 10,550 in 2025 (Census 2022: 10,350). It is located at an elevation of 481 meters, on the banks of the Rio Grande.
The settlement was originally called Cresciúma and began as a religious land donation in 1910 by Francisco Gomes de Oliveira for a chapel dedicated to Senhor Bom Jesus. The locality was elevated to a district in 1921 under the name Guaraci (derived from the Tupi word for "sun"), subordinate to the municipality of Olímpia. It was emancipated as an independent municipality on November 30, 1944.
The local economy was historically based on livestock and coffee, later transitioning to citrus cultivation in the 1970s, and since the 2000s has been dominated by sugarcane production, centered on the Usina Vertente sugar and ethanol plant, which is the largest employer in the municipality. The gentilic for residents is guaraciense.
