7 February 2011
Salvador, known as Bahia, was built on the top of a group of hills at the entrance of a 300km long bay, Bahia de Todos os Santos, the Bay of All Saints, so named when the first European to sail into it, Americo Vespucci, arrived on All Saints' Day, 1st November 1501. It was the capital city of Portuguese America from 1549 to 1763 when it was transferred to Rio. Now it is Brasilia. From 1889 it became a republic, now it is a democracy. Its economy is based on tobacco, sugar cane, coffee, mining (there are rich mineral deposits) and supposedly tourism. I say supposedly because there are plans to renovate a beautiful building near the docks to be the new Hilton. They are hosting the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016, but they will have to improve on their English which we found to be sadly lacking. There seems little incentive for them to improve their language skills as they do not get extra pay. Salvador city is in two parts, the lower and the older upper part with its colonial buildings, museums and numerous catholic churches. They say there is a catholic church for every day of the year! The largest arts and crafts market in Brazil, Mercado Modelo, is probably the biggest tourist attraction of the lower town, especially at its location is next to the docks when the cruise ships come into port. Just across the street, the Lacerda Elevator takes you 85 metres to the top of the town where you emerge into the first of many squares, and the Rio Branco Governor's Palace was our first stop. There was a comprehensive history of Bahia and an interesting photographic history of the old town known as Pelourinho. We stood out on the balcony and took in the panoramic view of the bay of Bahia. It is the largest tropical bay in the Atlantic Ocean and covers an area of 1052km. Only then can one fully appreciate the hugeness of it for it stretches away into the distance as far as the eye can see. Pelourinho is packed with interesting buildings, the largest collection of baroque style architecture in Latin America. We meandered through its cobblestone streets from square to square, church to church, soaking up the atmosphere of a vibrant, colourful city of three million inhabitants. It is an ethnic mix of Indian native peoples, Portuguese settlers, and the African people who had been brought in as slaves to work on the plantations. The African influence was clear to see. A small gallery exhibits the work of French photographer Pierre Verger. Candomble was a form of cult religion akin to voodooism, which he captured on camera. Music and dance is a major part of the city culture and every day you can see and hear it. Capoeira, a cross between brake dancing and martial arts is a popular street dance often performed daily in the Mercado and Terreiro de Jesus Square. Pelourinho is a world heritage site with more than 800 mansions from the 17 and 18th centuries and churches, many of which had original Portuguese blue and white ceramic tiles, painted ceilings, wonderful wood carving. The church of the Third Order of Sao Francisco has a carved sandstone front in Spanish American Baroque style, the only one of its kind in Brazil. The builders of the Church of Sao Francis, nicknamed "Golden Church", took 1000 kilos of gold dust to coat the carvings. In the vestibule there is a fine example of an illusionist or perspective ceiling painting. It seeks to trick the eye of the observer with false architecture and illusory space and the eyes of a central dove follow you as you walk around the room. The Basilica Cathedral houses a museum with pieces from the sixteenth century, the sacristy contained a wonderful collection of religious oil paintings.
Susan Mackay