In the 16th century, the Tupinambá Indians occupied this area where Buzios is currently located, where they practiced fishing, hunting, and growing cassava and corn.
These coasts were also visited by French smugglers, who hid to sell slaves, and to smuggle wood, mainly pau-brasil (Caesalpinia echinata).
In the 17th century, the French were expelled by the Portuguese after bloody disputes that significantly decreased the indigenous population.
Later, the area was destined for agriculture, cattle raising and activities of large farms. Fishing was prohibited.
At the end of the prohibition, the local economy was based on fishing and small-scale agriculture, until the middle of the 20th century, when activities totally different from the traditional ones related to tourism began to emerge.
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