São Luís, the capital of Maranhão in northeastern Brazil, is the only Brazilian city founded by the French. On 8 September 1612, on the island of Upaon-Acu (whose name in the Tupinambá language means “big island”), the Europeans chose a location between the bays of São Marcos and São José do Ribamar, on a rise formed at the confluence of the Bacanga and Anil Rivers. Constructed there was Fort São Luís, in honour of King Louis XIII, and from this came the name of the city. Years later, São Luís was taken by the Dutch invaders led by Count Maurice of Nassau, who occupied it between 1641 and 1644 (the Batavian occupation in Recife lasted from 1630 to 1654). It was later recaptured by the Portuguese, who then launched the urban expansion process.
It is precisely these characteristics of the Portuguese occupation that make the historic centre of São Luís an area rich in architecture. A typical colonial city, its layout was conceived after the expulsion of the French by Portuguese-born Francisco Frias de Mesquita, who was still the chief engineer of the State of Brazil in 1615. He respected the properties of equatorial South America. For example, the design is a Spanish-influenced orthogonal quadrilateral that fits into the slope.
It is interesting that the urban plan followed the idea of a fortified city that could withstand further invasion attempts. After all, its geographical location was strategic and favourable to marine expeditions from Europe, its land was fertile, had plenty of water and an excellent climate that could seduce other nations into seeking its conquest in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Thus, São Luís grew with buildings that complemented the city’s landscape, being not so tall so as not to lose sight of the horizon, and covered with typical Portuguese tiles, on large and rectangular streets. In all, about five thousand six hundred buildings make up the historic centre of Maranhão’s capital – all protected by the federal government. On 4 December 1997, the city received the title of World Heritage Site from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It was the ninth location in Brazil to be awarded this distinction. The perimeter listed by UNESCO corresponds to sixty acres and totals one thousand four hundred properties. This architectural heritage, dating back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, consists of terraced houses, mansions and finer buildings, signifying the greater purchasing power of those who lived there, and single-storey buildings, as evidenced by Figueiredo, Varum and Costa (2011). According to UNESCO, among the essential factors for the historic centre of São Luís to be included in the list of world heritage sites to be preserved is this: “the exceptional testimony of cultural tradition”, referring to the great preservation of the colonial houses.
In many respects, the historic centre of São Luís is similar to Portuguese cities such as Lisbon or Porto. Architects Figueiredo, Varum and Costa’s (2011) study notes that many of the UNESCO-listed buildings today were erected in the “Pombal architectural style”, referring to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal, Secretary of State to King José I and a major contributor to the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755. For example, inside some buildings (mostly terraced houses), the ground floor is used for commercial purposes, while the first floor is residential.
A stroll through the historic centre of São Luís is not just a class on preservation, but also a dip into the history of Brazil, in particular with regard to the influence of the colonizers. Characteristics of Portuguese architecture, such as the use of tiles, the stone mouldings, corners and balconies can be recognized in every corner of a city uncorrupted by progress, even when it was confirmed the capital of Grão-Pará in the 19th century. Among the most significant buildings are the Convent of Mercês, the historic Arthur Azevedo Theatre, Carmo Church, Casa das Minas and the Cânhamo Factory.
Recife, 20 May 2014.
sources consulted
CENTRO Histórico de São Luís. In: IPHAN. Disponível em: <http://portal.iphan.gov.br/portal/montarDetalheConteudo.do?id=17251&sigla=Institucional&retorno=detalheInstitucional>. Acesso em: 4 maio 2014.
FIGUEREDO. Margareth Gomes; VARUM, Humberto; COSTA, Aníbal. Caracterização das técnicas construtivas em terra edificadas no século XVIII e XIX no centro histórico de São Luís (MA, Brasil). Arquiteturarevista, v. 7, n. 1, p. 81-93, jan./jun. 2011. Disponível em: <http://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/arquitetura/article/download/1280/340>. Acesso em: 5 maio 2014.
IPHAN. Centro Histórico de São Luís. Disponível em: <http://www.iphan.gov.br/baixaFcdAnexo.do?id=281>. Aceso em: 4 maio 2014.
PREFEITURA de São Luís. Breve histórico. Disponível em: <http://www.saoluis.ma.gov.br//frmPagina.aspx?id_pagina_web=622&id_menu_pai=299>. Acesso em: 8 maio 2014.
how to quote this text
MORIM, Júlia. Centro Histórico de São Luís. In: Pesquisa Escolar. Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, 2014. Disponible en:https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/artigo/sao-luis-historical-city-center/. Acceso el: día mes año. (Por Ej.: 6 ago. 2020.)