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Historic Pelourinho

Salvador, Bahia About Bahia Salvador Bahia Gateway About Bahia Bahia's Hotels Must Do's Gastronomy Around & About Some Don'ts Shopping   Cultural stuff

Footprint Brazil Handbook writes:
"Salvador is one of the must see tourist points of Brazil and it is quite easy to spend a whole vacation here without leaving this heady mix of colonial buildings, beautiful beaches, African culture and pulsating musical rhythms."

The capital of the state of Bahia, Salvador is the third largest city in Brasil. The city sits on the magnificent Bahia de Todos os Santos, a bay discovered in 1501. The first Governor General, Tome de Sousa, arrived in 1549 to build a fortified city to protect Portugal's interest from threats of invasion from the Dutch and French. Capital of Brasil until 1763, Salvador was one of the most important cities in the Portuguese Empire.

A strong African influence began here with slaves brought from the West coast of Africa to work the sugar cane and tobacco plantations. The spicy Bahian food, the music pulsating with African rhythms, and the candomble (an African-Brasilian religion) all add to the exotic pulse of the city today.

One of Brasil's most historic cities, Salvador today is a city of many forts, churches and candomble temples resulting in a fascinating mixture of old and modern. Also famed for its beaches, take time to visit the north coast beaches, considered among Brasil's most beautiful.

Although it rains some all year long, the main rainy season is between May and September. The climate is pleasant with temperatures ranging between 69 - 84 degrees F.