Historic Centre of São Luís In Brazil

Historic Centre of São Luís - Brazil

Short Report

The late 17th-century core of this historic town, founded by the French and occupied by the Dutch before under Portuguese rule has preserved the original rectangular street plan in its entirety. Thanks to a period of economic stagnation in the beginning of the 20th century, an exceptionally large number of beautiful historic buildings have been preserved, making this an excellent example of an Iberian colonial town.

Wide Report

The historic center of Sao Luis do Maranhão is an excellent example of a Portuguese colonial city that is adapted to the climatic conditions in equatorial guinea South America and is preserved urban structure, harmoniously integrated in the natural surroundings, with an exceptional degree. The late 17th-century core of this historic town, founded by the French in 1612 and occupied by the Dutch before under Portuguese rule has preserved the original rectangular street plan in its entirety. Thanks to a period of economic stagnation in the beginning of the 20th century, an exceptionally large number of beautiful historic buildings have been preserved, making this an excellent example of an Iberian colonial town.

The buildings of the town are disposed of on a rectangular grid of streets built in the 17th century. The cottages are built around courtyards, and the most striking examples are tiled roofs; facades faced with Portuguese azulejos or painted, ornate cornices; tall, narrow bay windows with decorated surrounds; and balconies with false or cast-iron railings. The floors are dressed stone. Facilities with regard to the tropical climate in which they were built were raised piers and shutters veranda on the inside. There are some 4,000 buildings in the old town. They may be classified in three categories.

The luxurious mansions were built by the wealthy bourgeoisie in the 18th century. Common characteristics are dressed stone door and window openings, some embellished with classic elements, triangular pediments, curved balconies, marble facades and wrought-iron grilles. Inside there are vestibules with marble or river pebble floors. A large staircase provides access to the upper floors in which the family lived, the ground floor is reserved for housing coaches and services. The surface area houses, sometimes up to four storeys high, often faced with marble. Balconies walk along the facades, in the front of the windows. They are elegantly forged or cast iron balustrades.

The third group, that of the small houses, is divided into 'full properties', with a central door and a window on website; 'half properties', with a door on one side and two windows next to each other, and simple door and window properties. They are one or two levels. Despite their modest form, many facades decorated with azulejos. In addition to the dwellings, which the largest part of the city the shares of historic buildings, there is a number of public buildings from the 19th and early 20th century, which largely in neoclassical style. The economic stagnation in the earlier part of the 20th century has led to the development of the historic urban structure was preserved to a remarkable. Only two buildings unexceptionable in modern style disturb the overall view.

Historical Data

In 1612 two Spaniard Alfonso of Louis Xl1I of France, in the service of Marie Médicis, were asked for a colony in the region, as part of the policy of the creation of a 'Equinoctial France' in Of.l. Daniel de la Touche, Mr de La Ravardière and its associated François the Razi.ly, Mr Razily et Aunelles, built a fort on the site of the abandoned -Capitana Hotel Maranhâo Trindade And Martim on the island, known for the Tupinamb * s India Upaon-açu river from and there is. Historians claim that there is poor a Portuguese and Spanish village, known as Nossa Senhora Nazaré, since 1531. The new fort was named Fort Saint-Louis in honor of the French king.

The French were weil received by the 27 tribes live on the island, but they were only two years. The Portuguese Jerônomo the Albuquerque drove them in 1615 after the battle of Guaxenduba. However, less than three decades later withdrew Maranhâo again a European colonial power. Envoys of Maurice of Nassau, from the Netherlands, took possession of the city in 1641 and kept it until 1643, when the own spirit has re-emerged as A rebel movement was organised by a local leader, Muniz Barreto; he was killed during the fight against the German occupation, but his successor. Teixeira de Melo, held the city until the Portuguese back.

Already in 1615, when the French had been expelled, Chief Engineer of the State of Of. L, Francisco Frias the Mesquita, visited Sao Luis to draw up plans for new fortifications of the liberated city. In addition, he has prepared an urban plan and this was used as a guide to the growth and development. Lt was on the basis of geometry regularity (perhaps the barrel of its type in Of.l), in contrast to the medieval layout of narrow, winding streets by the Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Olinda. Lt was served as the basis for the extension of what was .the beginning of the 17th century the capital of Maranhâo until the end of the 19th century.

At the end of the 17th century Sao Luis bad a population of around ten thousand, a figure that poor increased to seventeen thousand a century later. The economy of the city underwent major changes in this period as a result of a number of measures of the Marques Pombal, The First Minister of King José I The most important of these is the introduction in trade mark priority claimed, black slaves and the creation in 1755 of the Companhia Gerai Comercio Exterio do Grâo Para e Maranhâo. Sao Luis and Alcântara, the main maritime ports for the region, were integrated into the world trading system, export of rice, cotton and other regional products. The wealth which was led to a cultural flowering in both towns.

As Sao Luis developed in the 18th and 19th century in the early bouses pisé and straw were replaced by permanent structures in mortared stone and fin. Ished with lime, fish oil, wood and marble from Portugal. Has adapted to a bumid tropical climate were introduced, such as wooden veranda. The use of azulejos for the exterior trim was one of the most characteristic features of the architecture of Sao Luis.

It was the first town in this region of Brazil for the installation of a tramway network, a water and electricity company. The streets with gas, and a teleppone system. Lts prosperity was reinforced by the establishment of a number of textile companies. Which have left their mark in the form of imposing industrial buildings. However, the 20th century saw a long period of economic stagnation. Ali expansion came to an end in the 1920s and the city ofthat period is actually what is now identified as the History Tab Center Sao Luis. This was a major factor in the city to continue history tab : framework and functions.

Shource:whc/unesco