Timeline of São Luís, Maranhão
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.
Before the 16th century
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Brazil |
|---|
| Brazil portal |
- Present-day São Luís was a large village of the Tupinambá people
16th century
- 1535. Division of Brazil by the Portuguese into hereditary captaincies[1]
- 1536. Donatory-Captain of Maranhão João de Barros granted colonization of Maranhão region[1]
- 1550s. Nazaré founded João de Barros, in the general vicinity of present-day São Luís[1]
- 1550s. Nazaré abandoned by the Portuguese due to indigenous resistance and difficulty in access to the site[1]
17th century
- 1611. French friars of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin describe site of the promontory of São Luís
- 1612.
- August 12. Settlement of Saint-Louis as part of Equinoctial France and celebration of inaugural mass[1]
- September 8. Declaration of foundation of Saint-Louis by Daniel de La Touche and end of the construction of the Fort of Saint Louis[2]: 21
- 1614. Fort of Saint Louis augmented to guard against invasion of the new colony; governor's residence built as part of expansion of fort
- 1614. Governor General of Brazil orders military expedition under Jerônimo de Albuquerque from Pernambuco to French Saint-Louis[3]: 11
- 1615.
- November 4. Portugal, as part of the Iberian Union, retake Maranhão in the Battle of Guaxenduba, and expel the French[3]: 11
- City retains the name São Luís for the urban center; the for is renamed Fort of São Felipe in honor of Philip IV[3]: 11
- City plan on grid system laid out by the Chief Engineer of Brazil, Francisco Frias de Mesquita[1]
- 1621.
- State of Maranhão established with São Luís as capital, independent from the State of Brazil and subordinate to Lisbon[1][3]: 27
- Church of Our Lady of Victory (Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Vitória), first parish church of São Luís[3]: 16
- 1619. São Luís, elevated to the category of town (vila), with establishment of Municipal Council[3]: 14
- Brothers of the Carmelite Order enters São Luís[4]: 116
- 1623
- September 23. Francisco Coelho de Carvalho appointed the first Governor and Captain General of the State of Maranhão and Gran-Pará.[5]: 159
- 1624. Governor Coelho de Carvalho orders the renovation of São Felipe Fort and reconstruction of first Governors' residence on site
- 1641. Dutch occupation of São Luís by Admiral Jan Cornelizoon Lichtardt and Coronel Koin Anderson, as wider Dutch occupation of Brazil.[3]: 17
- 1642. São Luís has a population of 700-800 and 500 to 600 houses[3]: 29
- 1644. Portuguese re-occupation of São Luís by Antonio Muniz Barreiros and Teixeira de Melo, the plantation owners of the Mearim River region[3]: 17
- 1654. State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará established
- 1661. Jesuit Father Antônio Vieira deported to Portugal over dispute on the treatment of indigienous peoples in Maranhão[6]: 36
- 1665. Caminho Grande, a road connecting the urban center to the villages and towns in the interior, consolidated[3]: 15
- 1670. São Luís elevated to the category of cite (cidade)[3]: 15
- 1642. São Luís has a population of approximately 1,000[3]: 30
- 1684. Beckman's Revolt occurs based on local discontent against the Maranhão Trading Company
18th century
- 1717. Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black People granted land and immediately begins construction on the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary[7]
- 1718. Population of Saõ Luís: 854[3]: 19
- 1751.
- 31 July The State of Maranhão renamed State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará by order of the Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, with its capital transferred from São Luís to Belém
- 1755. Creation of General Trading Company of Grão-Pará and Maranhão to introduce cotton cultivation in Maranhão and introduction of African slave labor[3]: 27
- 1759. Expulsion of the Jesuits from Maranhão
- 1762. Governor's residence converted to administrative office
- 1766. Governor Joaquim de Melo e Póvoas orders demolition of first Government Palace
- 1772. State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará split into two different states, the State of Grão-Pará and Rio Negro and the State of Maranhão and Piauí; both autonomous of the Brazilian colonial government
- 1780. Port of São Luís becomes center of export of cotton and sugar after the United States War of Independence
- 1787. The pillory erected at the Largo dos Amores.[3]: 18
- 1788. Population of Saõ Luís: 16,580[3]: 19
19th century
- 1811. Population of Saõ Luís: approximately 30,000[3]: 19
- 1812. Completion of the Quinta das Laranjeiras Gate.[3]
- 1814. Completion of Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, with celebration of first procession and mass[7]
- 1817
- 1818. Economy of Maranhão reaches one million pounds, and the fourth most populous city in Brazil.
- 1821.
- February 28. Capitania do Maranhão Reino becomes the Province of Maranhão under the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
- Foundation of first printing house, Tipografia Nacional; and first newspaper, O Conciliador do Maranhão[8]: 14
- 1823. Portuguese driven from Maranhão by Admiral Lord Cochrane
- July 28. Maranhão joins Empire of Brazil, 11 months after the wider Declaration of the Independence of Brazil
- 1825. First public lighting in São Luís, powered by olive oil, and later turpentine alcohol[3]: 19
- 1829. Foundling wheel placed in Church of São Pantelão by the Holy House of Mercy[3]: 202–203
- 1831.
- The Setembrada revolt broke out, calling for the expulsion of Portuguese and the Franciscan friars
- Prohibition of burials inside church buildings and mandate of burials outside the city as part of wider sanitary reforms in Brazil[8]: 20
- 1836. Foundation of first public library[8]: 14
- 1838. The Balaiada Revolt broke out, a popular movement that opposed the rural aristocracy
- 1839. Foundation of first high school, Liceu[8]: 14
- 1840. São Luís has 22 lime mills, six rice mills, six printing presses, three soap and candle factories, two cotton presses, eight potteries[3]: 21
- 1841.
- 1847. Creation of Commercial Bank of Maranhão (Banco Comercial do Maranhão)[3]: 20
- 1849. Construction of Public Slaughterhouse by the engineer João Nunes de Campos and Manoel Antônio da Silva Campelo[8]: 20
- 1852. Establishment of Portuguese Reading Cabinet (Gabinete Português de Leitura), an intellectual society similar to those in Salvador, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro[8]: 22
- 1855. Establishment of Gavião Cemetery, formerly known as the São Pantaleão Cemetery[8]: 23
- 1852. Reliquary image Relics of Saint Severa brought from Italy and placed in Church of São Pantelão[3]: 202–203
- 1854. Companhia Confiança Maranhense established to construct commercial stores for rental[3]: 21
- 1861. Companhia de Iluminação e Gás do Maranhão installs hydrogen gas lighting.[3]: 19
- 1866. City Chamber establishes building codes to address aesthetic and sanitation issues[3]: 59
- 1862. Campos Melo Ramp, second ramp built at end Rua do Trapiche[8]: 25
- 1863. Sidewalk paving in Portuguese lioz added as part of modernization of São Luís
- 1881. Publication of O Mulato by Aluísio Azevedo, a novel about Mixed-race Brazilians in São Luís
- 1889. Proclamation of the Republic; Province of Maranhão becomes State of Maranhão
- 1891. Promulgation of first State Constitution
- 1896. Façade of Governor's Palace greatly modified under Governor Manuel Inácio Belfort Vieira.
20th century
- 1906. Governor Benedito Leite begins a large scale urban renewal project in the Historic Center of São Luís, including the modification of the façade of Governor's Palace
- 1924. Inauguration of the electric tram in city[3]: 26
- 1936. Otacílio Saboya Ribeiro implements modernization plan
- 1939. Marist Brother purchase the Quinta das Laranjeiras and demolish all its buildings with the exception of the monumental gate and Chapel; Marist Brothers College is built on site
- 1942. 1,000 m (3,300 ft) grass track serves as airbase of the Brazilian Army, and site of future Tirirical Airport
- 1946. Holy House of Mercy cedes orphanage to Casa das Missões of São José and church to the [Archbishop of São Luís]][4]: 54–57
- 1955. Federal listing of Architectural and Landscape Ensembles of Benedito Leite Square, João Francisco Lisboa Square, Largo do Desterro, and Gonçalves Dias Square[4]: 46
- 1970. Construction of Bacanga Dam[3]: 36 [1]
- 1971. Opening of Governor José Sarney Bridge[3]: 36
- 1980s. Reggae music gains widespread popularity in the city, earning it nicknames such as the "Brazilian Jamaica"[10]
- 1980. Alumar aluminum factory established in São Luís; production continued to 2015.
- 1983. Alcântara Space Center, the launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency, established in nearby Alcântara.
- 1972.
- February 5. Cafuá das Mercês, a former slave auction house, opens as a museum dedicated to the history of slavery in São Luís[11]
- October 17. Tirirical Airport renamed Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport[12]
- 1997. UNESCO declares the World Heritage Site of São Luís.[1]
21st century
- 2003.
- August 22. The Alcântara VLS accident, where a rocket ignited on the launch pad of the Alcântara Space Center, killing 21 people
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Moreira, Rafael (2012). "São Luís". Lisbon, Portugal: Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ Olavo Pereira da Silva F. (2012). Varandas de São Luís: gradis e azulejos = The balconies of São Luís: railings and azulejo tiles. Roteiros do patrimônio (in Portuguese). Brasília: National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage. ISBN 978-85-7334-188-1. OCLC 953872763. Wikidata Q125558410.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad José Antonio Viana Lopes (2008). São Luís, Ilha do Maranhão e Alcântara: guia de arquitetura e paisagem = San Luis, Isla de Marañón y Alcántara: guía de arquitectura y paisaje (in Portuguese and Spanish). Seville: Regional Government of Andalusia. ISBN 978-84-8095-544-7. LCCN 2009342699. OL 23679680M. Wikidata Q125937903.
- ^ a b c Ernesto Horácio da Cruz (1953), Igrejas e sobrados do Maranhão (São Luís e Alcântara) (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Livros de Portugal, Wikidata Q127527440
- ^ Cezar Augusto Marques (1870), Diccionario historico-geographico da provincia do Maranhão (in Portuguese), São Luís: Typ. do Frias, Wikidata Q127432157
- ^ Robert M. Levine (2003). The History of Brazil. New York City: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6255-3. OCLC 60856562. OL 8400184M. Wikidata Q124351459.
- ^ a b Moreira, Rafael (2012). "Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black People". Lisbon, Portugal: Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Thaís Trovão dos Santos Zenkner (2012). "São Luís no século XIX: uma capital em construção". Aspectos urbanos de São Luís : uma abordagem multidisciplinar (in Portuguese): 11–37. Wikidata Q135264613.
- ^ Rogério Budasz (2019). Opera in the tropics: music and theater in early modern Brazil. New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021585-9. Wikidata Q135915776.
- ^ Matheus Andrade Marques (2023). "O reggae em São Luís: identidade cultural e o surgimento da Jamaica brasileira". Geopauta (in Portuguese). 7. doi:10.22481/RG.V7.E2023.E11964. ISSN 2594-5033. Wikidata Q136959788.
- ^ Luis Félix De Barros Vieira Rocha; Raimundo Nonato Viana De Assunção; Carla Véras Bezerra Galvão; Lusimar Pereira; Alberto César Abreu Louzeiro; Maria Das Mercês Campos Nunes; Francisca Chaves Marques Dos Santos; Jaqueline Luzia Castro Câmara (2024). "Arte/educação no museu: um estudo na cafua das mercês em São Luís do Maranhão". Cuadernos de Educación y Desarrollo (in Portuguese). 16 (13): 1–18. doi:10.55905/CUADV16N13-031. Wikidata Q136959812.
- ^ ""Lei nº 7.383, de 17 de outubro de 1985"" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Presidência da República. 1985. Retrieved 2025-11-24.