Brazil 's colonial history begins in Bahia with the Portuguese landing in 1500. Salvador, the region's capital, was founded in 1549 and became established as a trading centre - exporting tropical timber (pau brasil), tobacco and sugar to Europe, and importing slaves from West Africa.
The vast bay, Baía de Todos os Santos, provided a sheltered harbour and the city’s stunning architecture testifies to the wealth and power of this era. Both the French and Dutch made incursions into Portugal’s new colony - the Dutch capturing Salvador in 1624 but ousted a year later by the Portuguese, with Spanish help.
The legacy of slavery remains alive today, evident both in Pelourinho’s stunning architecture (UNESCO World Heritage status but mainly built by slave labour) and in wealth inequalities that persist in contemporary Brazilian society. More positively it has also found expression through Afro-Brazilian spirituality, arts and cuisine - candomblé, capoeira and moqueca are all distinctive examples of a creative fusion of Portuguese colonial and African traditions.
Salvador remained Brazil’s capital until it was moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1763 – a shift in the balance of power that mirrors changes in focus of trade, to gold and later coffee.