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São Paulo
KNOWLEDGE OF São Paulo
At the beginning of the 16th century, Brazil had only just been discovered by the Portuguese, and the area atop the Serra do Mar mountain range in the south-east of the country, now occupied by São Paulo, was inhabited exclusively by the indigenous Guaianás. The first Caucasian man to settle there was the Portuguese sailor João Ramalho, stranded by a shipwreck on the São Paulo coastline in 1510. Ramalho married Portira (or Bartira), the daughter of the local chieftain Tibiriçá, and the couple soon started a family. In 1532, João Ramalho helped Lord Martin Afonso de Souza, commander of the first Portuguese colonial expedition to Brazil, to establish the Piratininga village in the upland region; in 1553 the village was renamed Santo André da Borda do Campo.
The main goal of the Jesuit priests who accompanied the first Portuguese colonists in the 16th century, was to convert the local indigenous inhabitants to Christianity. In 1553, the senior Jesuit in Brazil, Manuel da Nóbrega, drew up an ambitious plan to reach the banks of the Paraná river, and convert the fierce Carijós inhabitants to the new religion. For this end he needed an inland base, and so São Vicente (the future state of São Paulo) was chosen to harbour the priests as they prepared to initiate the conversion process. On January 24th 1554, a group of 13 clerics under the commanded of José de Anchieta, began to build a settlement on the banks of the Tamanduateí river, next to the Vale do Anhangabaú (now the centre of São Paulo). The name chosen for this place at the time was the “Colégio São Paulo, and from that humble beginning, the largest city in South America, and one of the biggest in the world, slowly grew.
In 1560, the neighbouring inhabitants of the settlement of Santo André da Borda do Campo, were ordered to move to the Colégio São Paulo. They were sent there to help ward off a possible attack by the indigenous Tamoios, then allies of the French, who had just invaded Rio de Janeiro. Santo André da Borda do Campo was abandoned, and the Colégio São Paulo practically converted overnight from a village into a town. It was a poor town, however, at least during the 16th and 17th century. Remote and relatively untouched by developments taking place in the rest of the colony, the small population survived on subsistence farming.
During those early years, many expeditions set off from São Paulo into the Brazilian heartland in search of gold and precious stones, and to capture and enslave more native inhabitants. These expeditions were called entradas e bandeiras (entrances and flags). However, when gold was found in the State of Minas Gerais, the Portuguese Crown suddenly took a keen interest in the colony, purchased the capitania (the governorship) of São Vicente, and handed it to the descendants of its first colonial owners; henceforth called the Capitania de São Paulo e Minas Gerais, the power-centre of the region was established in the town of São Paulo.
The main goal of the Jesuit priests who accompanied the first Portuguese colonists in the 16th century, was to convert the local indigenous inhabitants to Christianity. In 1553, the senior Jesuit in Brazil, Manuel da Nóbrega, drew up an ambitious plan to reach the banks of the Paraná river, and convert the fierce Carijós inhabitants to the new religion. For this end he needed an inland base, and so São Vicente (the future state of São Paulo) was chosen to harbour the priests as they prepared to initiate the conversion process. On January 24th 1554, a group of 13 clerics under the commanded of José de Anchieta, began to build a settlement on the banks of the Tamanduateí river, next to the Vale do Anhangabaú (now the centre of São Paulo). The name chosen for this place at the time was the “Colégio São Paulo, and from that humble beginning, the largest city in South America, and one of the biggest in the world, slowly grew.
In 1560, the neighbouring inhabitants of the settlement of Santo André da Borda do Campo, were ordered to move to the Colégio São Paulo. They were sent there to help ward off a possible attack by the indigenous Tamoios, then allies of the French, who had just invaded Rio de Janeiro. Santo André da Borda do Campo was abandoned, and the Colégio São Paulo practically converted overnight from a village into a town. It was a poor town, however, at least during the 16th and 17th century. Remote and relatively untouched by developments taking place in the rest of the colony, the small population survived on subsistence farming.
During those early years, many expeditions set off from São Paulo into the Brazilian heartland in search of gold and precious stones, and to capture and enslave more native inhabitants. These expeditions were called entradas e bandeiras (entrances and flags). However, when gold was found in the State of Minas Gerais, the Portuguese Crown suddenly took a keen interest in the colony, purchased the capitania (the governorship) of São Vicente, and handed it to the descendants of its first colonial owners; henceforth called the Capitania de São Paulo e Minas Gerais, the power-centre of the region was established in the town of São Paulo.
Chapi