The land where Gravatai is located was subject of dispute between Portugal and Spain until 1750, when they signed the Treaty of Madrid. Originally known as Aldeia de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, Gravatai was founded on April 8, 1763 by settlers designated by the Portuguese to consolidate the crown presence in the region, led by Pedro Gonçalves Sandoval and Joao Lourenço Veloso. In 1772, the Sao Pedro province governor Jose Marcelino de Figueiredo started to develop the town. He built schools, mills and pottery facilities.
Then known as Aldeia dos Anjos, in 1806 the town was declared a district of Porto Alegre. By 1880 Gravatai was chartered as a borough ("Vila" in Portuguese). On March 2, 1938, the Executive order #311 declared Gravatai a city
