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Santo Amaro, located in the Recôncavo Baiano, is a city rich in history, culture and traditions.
Founded in the 16th century on the banks of the Subaé River, the city stands out for its past linked to the sugar cane cycle, which fuelled its economic and architectural development.
As well as being the cradle of important cultural manifestations, such as the samba-de-roda, Santo Amaro preserves its roots through its religious festivals, such as Nossa Senhora da Purificação, and keeps alive the memory of emblematic figures, such as Dona Canô, mother of Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia.
With its natural beauty and historical heritage, Santo Amaro is a destination that combines tradition and culture.
Santo Amaro (also known by the unofficial name of Santo Amaro da Purificação) on the Bay of All Saints is the land of Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia, where Dona Canô, the mother of these icons of Brazilian popular music, lives.
History of Santo Amaro in Bahia
Since the early days of colonisation, myths and beliefs have been part of the life of its inhabitants.
The present-day town of Santo Amaro in Bahia was founded in 1557 and grew up on the banks of the Taripe River, close to the sea.
The first Portuguese settlers lived there, including Major João Ferreira de Araújo and members of the Dias Adorno family.
Years later, the Jesuits from the Colégio de Santo Antão de Lisboa settled on the banks of the River Traripe and founded a chapel, under the invocation of Our Lady of the Rosary. The town grew around the chapel and on the neighbouring land.
Before establishing their dominance in the region, the colonisers fought successive battles with the Tupinambá Indians, former inhabitants of the banks of the Sergi-Mirim and Subaé rivers.
Despite the conflicts that occurred at the beginning of the occupation of this territory, the Tupinambá later collaborated and participated in the establishment of the settlement of Nossa Senhora da Purificação and Santo Amaro.
These Indians – according to the study Indigenous Peoples in Southern Bahia – inhabited the region that includes the current municipalities above Salvador, the lands around the Bay of All Saints and a large area of the current state of Bahia.
The mills of the Recôncavo Baiano
Between the 16th century and the first decades of the 20th century, the municipality’s economy was linked to sugar cane cultivation: in 1757 there were 61 sugar mills operating in the region.
During the 17th century, colonisation intensified with the creation of sesmarias (plots of land that the Portuguese Crown granted to a sesmeiro/farmer). The region became a major producer of sugar cane, tobacco and manioc, with the emergence of mills and flour houses.
In the 19th century, the town of Santo Amaro was the junction of two land routes that linked Brazil and crossed the hinterland, through Maranhão and Minas Gerais.
This made it possible for the town to function as an important trading post and the main sugar port in the Recôncavo Baiano.
In addition to the economic importance of the sugar cane mills, the local population and its rulers took an active part in the political life of Brazil (Revolution of the Tailors, Sabinada, Paraguayan War and Brazilian Independence), organising battalions, providing soldiers and supplies.
In 1837, the town was elevated to the category of city with the name Leal Cidade de Santo Amaro.
Regular steam navigation between Santo Amaro and Salvador began in 1847.
The increase in travel and the flow of visitors also brought a cholera epidemic that wiped out more than half of its population in 1855.
In the 20th century, new crops were planted (palm oil, cocoa and bamboo) and metallurgical, sugar, paper and vegetable oil industries were set up, but these activities were not consolidated. Currently, one of the municipality’s main sources of income is tourism.
The rural communities on the outskirts of Santo Amaro da Purificação still preserve the old labour songs sung at harvest time.
It’s not for nothing that the popular song ‘Alô meu Santo Amaro , Eu vim conhecer-lhe, Eu vim conhecer-te, Santa santamarense, Pra gente aprender, Pra gente aprender’ became famous.
The authentic samba-de-roda still exists in Santo Amaro da Purificação, especially in the district of São Braz, where the Samba Chula group of ‘seu’ João Saturno, known as João do Boi, stands out, having featured on recordings by composer Roberto Mendes, on a project by Antonio Nóbrega and Maria Bethânia.
The first settlers established on the banks of the Traripe River, next to the Jesuit church in 1557, faced fierce resistance from the Indians.
After the murder of a priest inside the church, the place became known as cursed, causing its population to move to the banks of the Subaé River.
The chapel of Santo Amaro was built there; settlement intensified as a result of the farms that grew up around it and produced sugar cane, tobacco and manioc.
The town was founded in the 16th century, but as a district. Emancipation only took place in 1837, when the town called “Nossa Senhora da Purificação e Santo Amaro ’ became Santo Amaro da Purificação.
It wasn’t long before the town became an important centre for the commercialisation of these products, which allowed it to survive after the end of the sugar cane cycle.
The town has preserved buildings from the time of its economic heyday and natural beauty.
Video about Santo Amaro BA
Who were Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia?
Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia are two of the most important and influential artists in Brazilian popular music, both from Santo Amaro, Bahia.
Caetano Veloso, born in 1942, is a singer, songwriter, writer and filmmaker, known for his contribution to the Tropicalismo movement in the 1960s. This movement revolutionised Brazilian music by mixing elements of popular and traditional culture with international influences such as rock and pop. Caetano is recognised for his poetic lyrics and political engagement, as well as being a central figure in Brazilian music and culture. His hits include ‘Alegria, Alegria’, ‘Sampa’ and ‘Você é Linda’.
Maria Bethânia, born in 1946, is one of the greatest interpreters of Brazilian music, known for her powerful voice and striking presence. Her career began in the 1960s and she stood out for performing sambas, MPB, regional music and songs that exalted Northeastern culture and popular Brazilian traditions. Bethânia is also known for her theatre performances, mixing music with poetry. Among her most famous songs are ‘Água de Março’, ‘Negue’ and ‘Reconvexo’.
Both are siblings and are part of a family deeply connected to Bahian culture, their mother being the iconic Dona Canô, a central figure in the cultural life of Santo Amaro.
Tourist attractions in Santo Amaro
Santo Amaro, in Bahia, offers several tourist attractions that reflect its rich cultural, historical and natural heritage.
1. Church of Nossa da Purificação
Completed in 1700, the church’s interior is decorated with Portuguese tiles and oil paintings on wood by José Joaquim da Rocha.
The festivities in honour of the patron saint, which begin a week before 2 February, the day dedicated to her, are organised by Dona Canô.
The climax of the festivities is a ritual similar to the Bonfim Festival, with the participation of more than 400 Bahian women who wash the steps and floor of the church with scented water.
2. Recolhimento dos Humildes Museum
The church has a valuable collection of 19th century furniture and sacred art pieces, some of which date back to the 17th century and once belonged to mill chapels.
3. Dona Canô’s house
The home of Claudionor Viana Telles Velloso, the matriarch of Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia‘s family, is a place to visit that preserves the memory of local culture.
4. River Subaé
The river is an important natural landmark of the city, on whose banks settlements and farms developed that boosted the local economy during the sugar cane cycle.
5. Samba de Roda Paths
Santo Amaro is one of the cradles of the authentic samba-de-roda, and it is possible to experience performances of this cultural heritage, especially in the district of São Braz, with traditional groups such as the Samba Chula de João do Boi.
6. Urubu Waterfall
The 38 metre high waterfall has five falls.
Access is only permitted with the accompaniment of guides accredited by the Secretariat of Culture, who can be contacted for an appointment.
Bahia.ws is the largest tourist guide to Bahia, Salvador and the Brazilian Northeast.