Salvador de Bahia: a little bit of history
For the people who are searching for natural beauty, cultural atmosphere, continuous party mixed with the joy and the smile of a charismatic and friendly people, the destination can only be Salvador de Bahia.
Previous to its foundation, Salvador was already populated by European people. Around 1510, a French ship sank near of the Porto da Barra in the Todos os Santos (All Saints) Bay, and one of the people who were aboard the ship was a noble called Diogo Alvarez. The Tupinambá tribe sheltered him and called him Caramuru. He married the daughter of cacique Taparica, whose name was Paraguaçu, and, in France, she was given the name of Catarina Alvarez.
The Todos os Santos (All Saints) Bay, name given by Américo Vespúcio, was a reference point for the sailors, due to geographic position, and had become one of the busiest harbors in the America continent.
The Portuguese Royalty had divided its part of the continent in hereditary captaincies and distributed them to receivers, who with their own resources, should administrate and grow farms on their land, but the confrontations with the indians prevented the captaincies' success. The only ones that succeeded were São Vicente and Pernambuco, due to the friendship and respect to the native indians.
The king, worried about the movement in the harbor, and the need to avoid the invasion of pirates and eager to recover the unproductive captaincies thought it was better to send support and created a general-government for Brazil. Thus, on March 29, 1549, governor Tomé de Souza founded the fortress city of São Salvador. He brought with him troops and war ships to help him and the Jesuit priests spread the official religion of the colonizing country.
The place chosen to build the city was the Pelourinho, for it was the highest part, in front of the harbor, near commerce and fortified by the depression that forms a natural wall about 80 meters high. This facilitated the defense of any threat coming from the ocean. Caramuru was very important in the city's building process promoting the friendship among the indians and the Portuguese.
The sugar-cane production in the Recôncavo grew with the arrival of the African slaves, and Salvador grew more and more. Pelourinho, the center of the economic and political power of the Colony was quickly built with the work of the slaves and indians. The fine architecture of the churches, palaces and mansions reveal the richness of the first Brazilian capital. Also in Pelourinho, Dom João VI founded the first Medicine School of Brazil.
The patrimony of the Pelourinho is protected by the IPHAN - Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Institute of the National Historic and Artistic Patrimony) - and, in 1985 it was recognized by UNESCO as Cultural Patrimony of the Mankind. In 1990, the architect Lina Bo Bardi was invited to develop the restoration of the architectural ensemble of the entire historic city center. The project was created to make the Pelourinho a tourism and culture center in Salvador. The old houses and convents became museums and culture houses, inns and hotels. The small houses became restaurants, cafeterias, bars, craftwork, clothing and Brazilian stones stores.
Walking by the narrow streets and slopes of Pelourinho we feel like we are in a colonial Brazil, all this among the modernity of the great metropolis, with the third biggest population in Brazil. Elegant neighborhoods, others, traditionally bohemian, many parks and green areas, big shopping centers and modern buildings.
Through the Lacerda Elevator, the greatest touristic curiosity or through the street cars in the Planos Inclinados Pilar and Gonçalves, we can get to the Lower City and the Commerce neighborhood. The first place we see is the Mercado Modelo and the sculpture of the artist Mário Cravo, as well as the big sidewalks of the popular commerce. Beside the Elevator, there is the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia. Climbing the Ladeira da Conceição we can see curious buildings in arch on the Slope's huge wall. Next to the harbor, there is the fair of São Joaquim, where you can find craftwork and all sorts of animal meat, fruits and typical foods.
Salvador has beautiful beaches, with green, warm and calm waters. All over the shore, there are places where natural pools are formed. The coconut trees make the scenery perfect and invite for a lazy walk, for an acarajé and some coconut water.
Salvador mixes tradition, faith, culture, beaches, history, architecture and a lot of parties. The rehearsals in Pelourinho can be seen every day and every night. There is Capoeira in Dique do Tororó and in the Mercado Modelo. Historic museums, forts, churches, convents and terreiros (places where people practice the Candomblé religion), beaches, parties and carnival are the ingredients that make of Salvador the second most wanted touristic destination in Brazil.