Alcântara in Maranhão has a wealth of architecture, alternating between ruins and houses that document the heyday and decline of the city, whose birth dates back to the early 17th century.
A good day trip from São Luís do Maranhão, Alcântara was once one of the richest cities in Maranhão between the 18th and 19th centuries, but much of its historical heritage has been lost. Traces of the past can be seen in colonial townhouses covered in Portuguese tiles, the ruins of the Palácio Negro slave market and the town hall building, which housed a public jail in the 18th century. In front of the Praça do Pelourinho are the ruins of the Igreja Matriz de São Matias and the interesting Museu Histórico, a fine example of period architecture.
Next to the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo are the remains of two palaces built by rival aristocratic families to receive Emperor Dom Pedro II. A fortune was poured into the works of the Barons of Pindaré and Mearim, but the monarch never passed through Alcântara and they were subsequently abandoned, symbolising the city’s decline. Part of this history of decay is remarkably narrated in the work Noite Sobre Alcântara, by the immortal Josué Montello.
In addition to the tour of the churches and buildings of the Centre, the tour is complemented by the surrounding beaches. They are not spectacular, but they balance the tour between culture and nature.
The genesis of the tile dates back to the civilisations of the Near and Far East. It was widely used as a decorative wall covering, especially for waterproofing masonry. It came to us from the Iberian Peninsula, especially from Portugal, which achieved great development between the 16th and 19th centuries. […]
The high season in Lençóis Maranhenses starts at the end of June and continues until September, when they start to dry up. But the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is open for visitation all year round. With a good tourist structure, Barreirinhas in Lençóis Maranhenses is the main base to explore […]
Those who want to know the way of life of the wealthy families of São Luís of the past centuries, their customs, habits and curiosities cannot miss visiting the Historical and Artistic Museum of Maranhão. Housed in a 19th-century manor house, the museum reconstructs the dwellings of a São Luís […]
The Ribeirão Fountain or Fonte do Ribeirão is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist attractions in São Luís. Located between Rua do Ribeirão and Rua dos Afogados, the affective symbol of the city was handed over to the population after a long restoration carried out by the City Hall. […]
The Arthur Azevedo Theatre, one of the most beautiful postcards and an important show house in São Luís, as well as most Brazilian theatres built in the 19th century, was built to meet the wishes of the petty bourgeoisie of Ludovico at the time who, enriched by the prosperous cotton […]
The João Lisboa Square or Praça João Lisboa was initially called Largo do Carmo, due to the Nossa Senhora de Monte Carmelo Convent and Church, the square is linked to important historical facts of the city, such as the battle between the Dutch and the Portuguese. It was the site of […]
The Natural History and Archaeology Research Centre of Maranhão in São Luís holds a collection that includes gems. Even extinct, dinosaurs continue to cause fascination among people. In the Archaeology area, you can see tools, ceramics, lithic materials, tiles, and other relics of the past. In the Ethnology area, you will […]
Maranhão’s popular culture is the theme of the exhibitions at Casa de Nhozinho, a museum housed in an imposing 19th-century mansion located on Rua Portugal, one of the city’s most beautiful streets. The name of the museum is a tribute to the great Maranhão craftsman Antônio Bruno Nogueira, known as […]
Rua do Giz, which was once the setting for a soap opera, once housed an important economic corridor, and in opposition to this, was also the cradle of the bohemian life of São Luís do Maranhão. Among the alleys in the historic area of the city, Rua do Giz (or […]
Like most colonial religious temples in São Luís, the Church of São José do Desterro was rebuilt several times, especially after the fighting between the Portuguese and the Dutch that marked the city’s history. In the beginning it was a small chapel covered in straw with the main door facing […]
The João do Vale Theatre is one of the few spaces for artistic performances in São Luís. The building where it operates was originally a shed that served as a sugar warehouse owned by businessman Rocha Aguiar. Located in Largo do Comércio (Rua da Estrela), the shed was built in […]
The Convent of Mercês, which was also once a barracks, is now the headquarters of the Brazilian Republican Memory Foundation and was recently elected one of the Seven Treasures of São Luís. Its construction began in 1654, when the Mercedarians João Cerveira (from Maranhão de Alcântara) and Marcos Natividade arrived […]
Cine Éden is a sumptuous cinema-theatre whose façade is preserved and retains its original features, including the name of the space in self-relief. In the first half of the 20th century, when São Luís was gaining modern airs, moving from an agrarian-export economy to an urban-industrial one, there was a […]
Barreirinhas is the city considered the main gateway to the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and is home to most of the tourism agencies. Although it is also possible to get there by the neighboring Santo Amaro do Maranhão and by Primeira Cruz, it is there that tourists concentrate more. The […]
The municipality of Santo Amaro gained fame because of the beautiful lagoons & nbsp; that are “hidden” there, with just an hour’s walk from the city center, visitors can already appreciate these natural beauties that attract so many tourists. Santo Amaro is the ‘B side’ of the park, with an […]
Caburé usually receives visitors, who take the opportunity to rest on this beach after visiting the famous Lençóis Maranhenses. Caburé has a good strip of clear and soft sand, the sea is calm and clean waters, suitable for swimming and water sports; The place has good infrastructure, with bars and […]
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