And Now, A Puzzler From Brazil

I can make out the word "JAPUHY" in this cancel and, maybe, before it "DE".
None of my sources lists a place in Brazil with Japuhy in its name. Can anyone help me ID where this stamp was canceled?

from a list of Brazilian places :

Sant'Anna de Macacu (Sant'Anna de Japuhyba, Japuiba)

Thank you, Hans!

There is a neighborhood in Sao Vicente, in Sao Paulo province, called "Japui." That's the modern spelling. In the early 20th century, per ChatGPT, it was spelled Japuhy, so maybe that's an option too.

Hi,

The change in the ending of Brazilian city names, from "y" to "i" (e.g., Mogy to Mogi, Iguaty to Iguati), occurred mainly due to the evolution of the Portuguese language, orthographic standardizations throughout the 20th century, and the desire to adapt terms of indigenous origin to Portuguese.

Here are the main reasons:

Indigenous Root (Tupi-Guarani): Many Brazilian city names have Tupi origins. In the Tupi language, "y" was used to represent a vowel sound, often meaning "water" or "river" (e.g., Iguaty - river of herons). Until the beginning of the 18th century, Tupi-Guarani was the most widely spoken language in Brazil.

Portuguese Influence: The first Portuguese colonizers tried to phonetically record indigenous words, often using "y" or "i" interchangeably. Over time, the spelling with a stressed "i" (í) became the norm in the Portuguese language.

Orthographic Reforms: Over time, especially with the Orthographic Form of 1943, Brazil sought to standardize spelling, eliminating the use of "y" (which does not belong to the official alphabet of the Portuguese language) in words of native origin, replacing it with "i" or "í".

Therefore, the location is probably Japuí, a neighborhood in the city of São Vicente, in the state of São Paulo. São Vicente is one of the oldest cities in Brazil.

Japuíba is another possibility.