Before Salvador de Bahía was founded, the region was inhabited by the crew of a shipwreck in the Vermelho River of a French ship in 1510. The crew included the famous Portuguese colonizer Diogo Álvares Corrêa, nicknamed "Caramuru" by the indigenous people. .
It became the seat of the first Catholic bishop of Brazil in the year 1522, and in the year 1534 the chapel in honor of "Our Lady of Grace" was founded.
In 1536, Francisco Pereira Coutinho, the first grantee, named hereditary Captain by King John II of Portugal, arrived in the city. He founded the camp called Arrabal de Pereira, in the vicinity of where Ladera de la Barra is located today. Later this camp was called Villa Vieja, at the time of the founding of the city. The indigenous people of the area had differences over the treatment of Captain Pereira Coutinho and several indigenous rebellions arose. In one of them, Pereira was forced to retire to Porto Seguro.
In the year 1549 the Portuguese conquerors arrived, led by Tomé de Sousa, the first Governor General of Brazil, and his retinue in six different vessels: three ships, two caravels and a brigantine, with orders from the King of Portugal to found a fortress-city called San Salvador.
This is how the city of Salvador was founded, from the beginning as the capital city, and soon became an important center of the sugar industry and the slave trade.
More than a thousand people arrived on the boats, including the first Jesuit priests in Brazil, including Manuel de Nóbrega, João Aspilcueta Navarro and Leonardo Nunes.
Few women came, so the Portuguese later asked the crown to send more women as brides.
In the year 1583 the city already had 1,600 inhabitants. The population grew rapidly to become one of the largest cities in the New World.
The city was invaded by troops from the United Provinces of the Netherlands in the year 1598, also in the 1624-1625 and the year 1638.
Sugar was the most exported product by the colony in the 17th century, at the end of which the province of Bahía became the largest sugar exporter in the world.
Then, the limits of the city were extended to occupy the parishes of San Antonio Além do Carmo and that of San Pedro Viejo.
The city of São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos was the capital and seat of the colonial administration of Brazil until the year 1763.
In the year 1798 there was the so-called Revolt of the tailors, in which men from the town were involved.
In 1821, the city was attacked by Portuguese troops, for being the symbol of colonial independence, occupied until 1823.
In 1835 there was an uprising of Muslim slaves, known as the Revolt of Evils. Throughout the 19th century, Salvador continued to influence national politics, and continued to be a tourist and cultural center.
By 1890, Salvador was the second most populous city in Brazil, and the fourth to have a telephone system.
In the year 1912 the bombing of the city of Salvador takes place, due to disputes between the oligarchic leaders of the succession of government: The Library and the Archive are totally destroyed.
By the year 1948, Salvador already had 340,000 inhabitants, already at that time the fourth largest city in Brazil.
The pelourinho is located within the historic center of Salvador de Bahia, under the protection of UNESCO.
In this way, Salvador can be a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities.
The historic center of Salvador was designated in 1985 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city represents a fine example of 16th century urbanism with the government seat in the upper town and the urban commercial center in the lower town. In turn, a large part of the city has preserved the old characteristics of its streets and its colorful houses.
The development and status of Salvador during the colonial era (as the capital of the colony for 250 years) is reflected in the magnificence of its colonial palaces, churches and convents, most of which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
See more about the location of Salvador de Bahía
See also information on Porto Seguro.
