Salvador

SALVADOR THE FIRST CITY OF THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE IN THE NEW WORLD

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo stand out as two of the most well-known Brazilian cities. Although both cities are very important in the history of Portuguese colonization in the Americas, Salvador, the first Portuguese city in the Americas has a notable history that deserves to be remembered!

The “letter of Pêro Vaz de Caminha to the King Manuel I,” contains what many consider to be the most accurate account of the region around Salvador in 1500. 19 Caminha details the natural beauty of the area. One of Pêro’s most famous descriptions, “Arvoredo Tanto, e tamanho, e tão basto, e de tanta folhagem, que não se pode calcular,” roughly translates “Such vastness of the enormous treeline, with abundant foliage, that is incalculable.” 20

A year later, in 1501, an expedition arrived to claim Portugal’s

new conquest. They found a wide bay full of well-inhabited

islands. In remembrance of that being the day the Catholic Church celebrated “the day of all Saints” (November 1), that region was called “Bahia de todos os Santos” (Bay of All Saints). King John III ordered the construction of a fort and a lighthouse, both called Santo Antonio da Barra. During these constructions, the village

Bay of All Saints emerged. In 1549 this became the city of “São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos” (Saint Savior of the Bay of All Saints), later called only Salvador (Savior). 21

The order for the development and expansion of a town in a city was a direct order of King John III. For about 50 years since its discovery, the colony of Brazil was not the main target of Portuguese exploration. According to the Brazilian historian Boris Fausto, during the 1550s, the revenue that was coming from Brazil represented only 2.5% of the Portuguese Crown’s incomes, while the trade with India corresponded to 26%. 22 Therefore, the construction of the city of Salvador was designed with the

objective of defending the ownership of the land and at the same time establishing a structure for the more intense exploration of the colony.

As Salvador was the first actual city in the colony of Brazil, it was strategically built to be the general capital of Portuguese lands in South America. After the city was founded, forts, churches, and other nearby villages began to emerge. City construction followed the rugged topography. Due to a very steep slope, of approximately

236 ft, which extends through the area, the city was divided into two levels – the “Cidade Alta”

(Upper City), seat of civil and religious power, and the “Cidade Baixa” (Lower City), seat of maritime

and commercial activities. The two parts of the city were connected by long staircases that presented a real challenge for the transportation of goods in and out of the city. Fausto reminds that “Salvador grew up with the arm of the captive Indian who carried the goods up and down the hill on his shoulders.” 23

Sugarcane production made the city very wealthy and it consistently attracted the attention of pirates and privateers and other aggressors who

Santo Antônio da Barra Fort & Lighthouse, the first Portuguese fortification erected in Bahia. It was built in 1501.

By Oscar Pereira da Silva, 1900

wanted its wealth. 24 In 1624, at war with Dutch invaders, Salvador became a battle zone. When

hostilities ceased and the Dutch returned the city to the Portuguese in 1625, the city expanded. This began an era of building palaces, sanctuaries, and convents; intellectual life intensified with the foundation of Academies; the Diocese of Bahia was elevated to the category of Archbishopric, metropolitan of the State of Brazil. In 1763,

for economic and political reasons, the seat of

government moved to Rio de Janeiro. 25 While this caused Salvador to lose political prominence,

For almost three hundred years it was the most important Portuguese city in the Americas.

The Lacerda Elevator is a public urban elevator located in Salvador, Brazil, connecting the lower city to the upper city. The 236 ft elevator was built between 1869 and 1873

Currently, with more than 2.8 million inhabitants, Salvador is the most populous municipality in the Northeast and the third in Brazil. It is the ninth largest Latin American city. The Historic Center of Salvador includes the public square Largo do Pelourinho (once the site of slave punishments); is known for its colonial architecture and monuments dating from the sixteenth to the beginning of the twentieth centuries. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Stage of one of the largest carnivals in the world (largest street party in the world according to the Guinness Book), Salvador also stands out for its strong Catholic influence. The city has 372 historic churches, all built during the colonial period. number of churches present in the capital is closely related to the history of the municipality. Built to be an extension of Portugal, Salvador is evidence of the extrapolation of the Catholic Church in the Iberian Peninsula.” Carvalho also says that construction of most of the churches in the capital was made possible by a colonial elite: “Each family financed these buildings. It was a form of expression of power.” 26 The city has a rich heritage and holds a prominent place as one of the most important cities in Atlantic history.

ALAN DE OLIVEIRA MAIH STUDENT

São Francisco Church and Convent of Salvador. The ornate Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis sits adjacent to the convent. The friars of the Franciscan Order arrived in Salvador in 1587 and constructed a convent and church on the site. The construction of the church and convent began in 1708. The structure was completed in 1723. The interior was decorated by several artists during a great part of the 18th century. Most decoration of the church and convent were finished by 1755.