Porto Alegre

Lore & Background

The official date of the foundation of the city of Porto Alegre is 26 March 1772, by Manuel Sepúlveda, when Freguesia de São Francisco do Porto dos Casais was created and changed a year later to Nossa Senhora da Madre de Deus de Porto Alegre. However, the village started in 1752, when 60 Azorean couples were brought over by the Treaty of Madrid. On 24 July 1773, Porto Alegre became the capital city of the province, when the administration of Manuel Sepúlveda, who used the fictitious name or pseudonym José Marcelino de Figueiredo, to hide his identity, officially started.

Reader's Guide

Porto Alegre lies on the eastern bank of the Guaíba Lake, where five rivers converge to form the Lagoa dos Patos. The city is on a delta resulting from the junction of five rivers. Its topography is punctuated by 40 hills. The city dates from the mid-18th century, when colonists from the Azores settled in the area. Porto Alegre is one of the wealthiest cities in Latin America and one of the most diverse. It is also a center for gaúcho history and culture, famous for its churrasco and chimarrão.

Did You Know?

• Porto Alegre hosted the World Social Forum in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2010.
• The city was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, having previously been a venue for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
• Porto Alegre is known as 'Porto do Sol' (Port of the Sun) and 'Cidade Sorriso' (Smile City).