Salvador | History, Culture & Attractions (2024)

Salvador, city, major port, and capital (since 1889) of Bahia estado (state), northeastern Brazil. It is the country’s third largest city. Salvador is situated at the southern tip of a picturesque, bluff-formed peninsula that separates Todos os Santos (All Saints) Bay, a deep natural harbour, from the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a hot tropical climate, with a cooler rainy season during the winter months (June–August); ocean breezes, especially on the Atlantic side, tend to moderate temperatures. Pop. (2022) 2,610,987; metro. area, 3,458,571.

History

One of the country’s oldest cities, Salvador was founded in 1549 as the capital of the Portuguese colony of Brazil by Tomé de Sousa, the first governor-general. As the entrepôt of the thriving sugar trade that developed along the bay shores, the city soon became a tempting prize for pirates and enemies of Portugal. It was captured by Dutch forces in 1624 but was retaken the following year. It remained under Portuguese control for the next two centuries. Salvador was the last Portuguese stronghold during the war for Brazilian independence, holding out until July 1823, when the last Portuguese troops were expelled. A monument commemorating the Brazilian victory is in a plaza in the Campo Grande district.

Salvador was a major centre for the African slave trade in the colonial period. Muslim African slaves in the city staged a widespread revolt there in 1835. Salvador still has one of the largest concentrations of black and mulatto populations in Brazil. Those groups have contributed many of the folkways, costumes, and distinctive foods for which the city is noted.

In 1763, following the transfer of the colonial seat of government to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador lost political preeminence and entered a long period of economic decline from which it did not emerge until after 1900. Since 1940, however, Salvador has experienced continuous and rapid population growth, accompanied by significant economic expansion, reflected in extensive public works and private construction. In the early 1970s the nearby Aratu Industrial Centre and the Camacari petrochemical complex were built and linked to Salvador by highway. The first terminal of a deepwater port was opened in 1975, and additional facilities were subsequently built.

The contemporary city

Imports consist chiefly of manufactured goods, while exports include tobacco, sugar, sisal, hides, castor beans, aluminum, iron ore, and petroleum from the nearby Candeias oil field. Food and tobacco processing, textile, ceramics, and automobile manufacturing, chemical production, metallurgy, woodworking and leatherworking, and shipbuilding and repair are Salvador’s main industries. The port of Salvador is one of the finest in Brazil and includes a yacht harbour. Salvador is well served by domestic and foreign shipping lines and airlines, and there are rail and bus connections with central and southern Brazil. An international airport is located about 12 miles (20 km) northeast of the city centre. Tourism, based on the city’s historic sites and the fine beaches that ring it on three sides, has become a significant component of the economy.

A distinctive feature of Salvador is its division into lower (cidade baixa) and upper (cidade alta) parts. The port, commercial district, and adjoining residential zones lie at the foot of a cliff on a low shelf of land facing west onto the bay, only a few feet above sea level. The principal shopping districts, state and municipal government offices, and leading residential areas are on the upper level, extending northward for several miles and eastward to the Atlantic shore. In addition, most of the city’s historic sights are near the edge of the upper city. The old city centre, the Pelourinho (“Pillory”), was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. The area underwent considerable restoration work in the 1990s, and many colonial-era buildings were preserved. The upper and lower sections are connected by a few graded winding roads, a funicular railway, and several elevators. The Lacerda elevator, an outstanding landmark, is the chief link, lifting passengers 234 feet (71 metres) between the separate streetcar systems.

The city is a national cultural centre, famed for the beauty of its many Baroque colonial churches, especially the church of the convent of the Third Order of St. Francis (1701). Salvador’s cardinal is the spiritual leader of Brazil’s Roman Catholic church. There are also notable examples of colonial secular architecture, including the Barra lighthouse at the Atlantic tip of the peninsula and many 17th-century forts. Salvador is the seat of the Federal University of Bahia (1946) and the Catholic University of Salvador (1961). There are several museums, including one displaying sacred art in the monastery of Santa Tereza. The former home of writer Jorge Amado in the Pelourinho district has been preserved as a museum and an archive of his works. The city’s pre-Lenten Carnival attracts large crowds annually.