Cities in Brazil: SÃO VICENTE, São Paulo

SÃO VICENTE
São Paulo
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SÃO VICENTE

Data IBGE

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General – São Vicente is a city located in the southeast of the state of São Paulo, at 70 km from the capital, São Paulo. According to IBGE, the city counted 335 thousand inhabitants in 2011.
São Vicente is the first village on the American continent that was founded by the Portuguese.
Interestingly, old records reveal that three Portuguese had arrived in São Vicente in 1493, when they were crewmen of the Armada of Francisco de Almeida: Antonio Rodrigues, João Ramalho, and Mestre Cosme Fernandes.
On January 22. 1502, a Portuguese expedition commanded by Gaspar de Lemos arrived at Ilha de Golhayó. He named it São Vicente. In 1532, another Portuguese, Martim Afonso de Sousa, was sent by the Crown to explore and colonize the newly discovered land. On August 22 in that year, the first elections on the American continent were held. The first members of the newly-formed city council were elected. Also the pelourinho and a church were erected. Soon, the first agricultural activities were started: wheat, grapes, and sugar cane. The first sugar cane mill of Brazil was constructed in São Vicente. Within a few years, sugar was exported to Portugal. More agricultural activities were started in São Vicente, including growing cattle. These cows came from Cabo Verde. From São Vicente, these herds were transported to neighboring capitanias: Bahia, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais. The indians, who held fierce battles when the village was created, initially worked as slaves, and after the ban on slavery of indians, as hired workers.
In 1542, flooding destroyed a great part of the village, including the church and the pelourinho. The new village was constructed more land inward. From 1560, indians attacked and destroyed plantations and fazendas. In 1591, the English pirate Thomas Cavendish and his crew attacked and destroyed various locations in the village. The pirate tried to escape, but a fierce storm blocked him to sail away. A second attacked was repelled by the villagers. In 1615, another – Dutch – pirate, Joris van Spilbergen, tried to attack and loot the village and a neighboring village. The villagers managed to expel the invaders. On March 22, 1681, the capital of capitania São Vicente was transferred from São Vicente to Vila de São Paulo. At present commerce and tourism contribute to the economical activities in São Vicente.

Tourism - São Vicente has three principal beaches, which attrach many tourists: Praia do Gonzaguinha, Praia dos Milionários, and Praia do Itararé. Tourists can relive the history in Cultural Park Vila de São Vicente. Former Câmara Municipal is now a Mercado Municipal, where one may find a variety of merchandise at day, and spend the night at a number of bars. The Igreja Matriz, named after the Spanish saint and martyr São Vicente, was rebuilt twice; the latest dates from 1757. Every year, the Arrival of Martim Afonso is played on Gonzaguinha Beach. it is called ‘Encenação da Fundação da Vila de São Vicente‘. Casa (house) Martim Afonso is considered as Marco Zéro of São Vicente. Biquinha de Anchieta is a natural well, where Padre de Anchieta drank water and catechized indians. The Monument of 500 Years (of discovery of Brazil) is after a design of Oscar Niemeyer. The point of this monument makes an imaginary direct line to the National Congress in Brasília. Marco Padrão is a pillar, that serves as a monument to commemorate the 400th anniversary of São Vicente.

É crença generalizada admitir-se que a ocupação do litoral vicentino se tenha dado a partir da chegada de Martim Afonso, em 1532.
Entretanto, louvando-nos no magnífico trabalho de Francisco Martins dos Santos, ” História de Santos”, vol. I , São Vicente é nome que já aparece assinalado desde 1502, 1503, 1506 e 1508, nos mapas da épocas, como ilha, porto e povoado, sob várias denominações, como “San Uicentio”. “Sanbicente”, “San Vincenzo”e “San Vicento”.
Recorda-nos aliás, Eugênio Teixeira de Castro em citação de Affonso de E. Taunay na obra “De Brasilae Rebus Pluribus” que “já antes de 1532 (São Vicente) era ponto da nossa costa assinalado nos mapas por uma torre à beira-mar”. Esse local seria conhecido então por Tumiaru, cujo o nome em língua tupi-guarani, não obstante corruptela, devia designar um farol, pois a exemplo da palavra turiaçu, que o eminente tupinólogo, prof. Plínio Airosa traduz por fogareú, aquela faz supor um fogo solitário, ou farol. Além disso, era costume acender fogueira, a fim de avisar os barcos em alto mar para se aproximarem do porto, sendo fato inconteste haver Martim Afonso deparado com esse entrepostos, a exemplo de Iguape e Cananéia, onde aventureiros brancos, arribados entre embarcadiços ou degredados Portugueses, associados a morubixabas, praticavam comércio clandestino com navegadores estrangeiros, vendendo, além dos produtos da terra, pimenta, farinha de mandioca e escravos indígenas para equipagem de caravelas ou estivadores.
Benedito Calixto reforça tais argumentos no sentido de localizar a primitiva Tumiaru no início da avenida Capitão-mor Aguiar, em São Vicente, nas proximidades do Porto Velho do Tumiaru, referindo-se ao achado por volta de 1887, de vários objetos de uso doméstico índio, numa escavação ali procedida por ordem do Major Sertório, de onde conta o historiador praiano haver retirado ídolos, igaçabas e outras peças de cerâmica que encaminhara ao Museu Histórico.

(IBGE)

Nicknames of São Vicente:

“A Primeira Vila Brasileira” (First Brazilian Village)
“Cellula-Mater da Nacionalidade” (Origin of Brazilian nationality)
“Berço da Democracia nas Américas” (Berth of Democracy in the Americas)

Aerial view (foto: O Melhor do Bairro)