On This Day (1/25/1554): In 1554 the city of São Paulo, Brazil was founded by Jesuit missionaries. The land that the mission and city were founded on was that of the Tupiniquim people. The priests wanted to evangelize the indigenous people who lived in the Plateau region of Piratininga and convert them to Christianity. For the next two centuries, São Paulo developed as a poor and isolated village that survived largely through the mostly native populations cultivation of subsistence crops. In the 17th century, the town became a center for the bandeirantes, intrepid explorers who marched into unknown lands in search for gold, diamonds, precious stones, and Indians to make slaves of. The bandeirantes, which could be translated as flag-bearers or flag-followers, organized excursions into the land with the primary purpose of profit and the expansion of territory for the Portuguese crown. Today, São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the largest city in the southern hemisphere while the Tupiniquim people live in three small indigenous territories near the cities of Santa Cruz and Vila do Riacho.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 00:42:31 +0000
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