São Luís, Maranhão

Lore & Background

Originally a large Tupinambá village, São Luís was first settled by Europeans in 1612, when the French under Daniel de la Touche and François de Razilly built Fort Saint-Louis de Maragnan. Portugal conquered the settlement in 1615 after the battle of Guaxenduba and renamed it São Luís. The Dutch invaded and occupied the city from November 1641 until February 1644, pillaging Catholic imagery and structures. In 1677, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São Luís do Maranhão.

The economy was initially based on sugar cane, cacao, and tobacco. Conflicts between Jesuits and landowners over Indian slavery led to the Beckman's Revolt, which ended with the brothers Manoel and Tomás Beckman being hanged, drawn, and quartered. After the American Civil War, cotton exports to Great Britain brought wealth, modernizing the city and making it the third most populous in Brazil. Agriculture declined by the end of the 19th century.

Today, São Luís has the largest and best-preserved heritage of colonial Portuguese architecture in Latin America. It is known as the 'Island of Love' and 'the Brazilian Athens' for its many poets and writers, and as 'the Brazilian Jamaica' for the popularity of reggae music. An autosomal DNA study shows its ancestral composition as 42% European, 39% Native American, and 19% African.

Reader's Guide

São Luís holds a unique place in Brazilian history as the only state capital founded by France, part of the short-lived Equinoctial France colony. Its historic center, with its preserved 17th-century street plan, earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997, reflecting the city's colonial Portuguese architecture. The city's two major sea ports—Madeira Port and Itaqui Port—export a substantial part of Brazil's iron ore from the pre-Amazon region, alongside soybeans. The economy is based on aluminum processing (Alumar), pelleting (Vale), food production, and tourism. São Luís is home to the Federal University of Maranhão and Estadual University of Maranhão. Culturally, it produced notable figures such as samba singer Alcione, writers Aluísio Azevedo, Ferreira Gullar, and Josué Montello, and MPB singer João do Vale. The city's maritime extension of 640 km is the second largest among Brazilian states. The nearby Alcântara Space Center is located in the neighboring municipality.

Did You Know?

• São Luís is the only Brazilian state capital founded by France, originally named Saint-Louis-de-Maragnan.
• The city's historic center was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
• São Luís has the second largest maritime extension (640 km) among Brazilian states.