Olinda is located in the state of Pernambuco with an estimated population of 395,000 inhabitants.
It is one of the best preserved colonial cities in the country, it was declared a Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1982.
It was founded in 1535 and was the richest city in Colonial Brazil between the 16th century and the first decades of the 17th century.
According to writers of the time, it was called "little Lisbon" and was the seat of Colonial Brazil between 1624 and 1625 during the Dutch invasions with Matias de Albuquerque leading Olinda.
According to popular tradition, its name would come from an exclamation by Duarte Coelho, the first Donate Captain of the Captaincy of Pernambuco when he said: "Oh, nice situation to build a village!" (Oh, nice location to build a villa!).
There are historians who prefer the hypothesis of a reference to some Portuguese locality, such as Linda-a-Velha or Linda-a-Pastora.
Olinda is also the name of a character from the Amadis de Gaula, a widely read book of chivalry at the time the city was founded.
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