SOUTHEAST BRAZIL - Brazil - page 163

A monument to the thousands
of Japanese-Brazilians who
arrived in São Paulo state in
the early 20th century sits
here, together with the small
but popular Aquário de
Santos . In addition to a
stunning range of tropical
marine life, it displays three
of the five species of sea
turtles found in Brazil. The
beaches lying farther out in
the Baía de Santos (Bay of All
Saints) bustle with activity at
the weekends.
For all its history, it is
for football that Santos is
most famous outside Brazil.
Pelé played here for almost
all his professional life. The
Santos Football Club has
an excellent museum, the
Memorial das Conquistas ,
devoted to the club's
illustrious history.
Aquário de Santos
Av Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Ponta
da Praia. Tel [phone].
# 8am-6pm Tue-Fri, 8am-8pm
Sat & Sun. &
- Bolsa e Museu do Café
Rua 15 de Novembro 95. Tel (013)
3213 1750. # 9am-5pm Tue-Sat,
10am-5pm Sun. & ^
E Fundação Pinacoteca
Benedito Calixto
Av Bartolomeu de Gusmão 15.
Tel [phone]. # 2-7pm
Tue-Sun. ^
E Memorial das Conquistas
Rua Princesa Isabel 77, Vila Belmiro.
Tel [phone]. # 9am-
7pm Tue-Sun, 1-7pm Mon. & 8
prior booking required. ^
R Santu á rio Santo
Antônio do Valongo
Marquez de Monte Alegre 13.
# 8am-6pm Tue-Sun. ^

JAPANESE IMMIGRATION
Brazil has the largest number of ethnic
Japanese outside Japan, and almost all their
ancestors arrived at Santos. Immigration
began in earnest after the Russo-Japanese
War (1904-5). Although Japan emerged
victorious, the penalty was high, leaving
the poorer Japanese population with a
bleak future. São Paulo seemed to offer
hope, as the state was rich in coffee and
workers were in short supply.
The first Japanese ship to land was the
Kasato Maru , which brought 165 families
to Santos on June 18, 1908. They left for
the coffee plantations in the Mogiana
region. By the beginning of World War II,
almost 150,000 Japanese had arrived. After
freeing themselves from their labor
contracts, communities began to grow in metropolitan
São Paulo (see p145) and other parts of Brazil.

Japanese
Immigration
Monument, Santos

São Vicente 6
* 418,000. @ www .saovicente.
sp.gov.br

First capital of the Captaincy
of São Vicente, as São Paulo
state was formerly known,
São Vicente won the epithet
of “Cellula Mater” (Mother
Cell) for being Brazil's first
organized town. The 18th-
century Baroque parish
church, the Igreja Matriz
de São Vicente Mártir , is one
of the very few historical
buildings in the city to have
survived the ravages of time.
A tidal wave destroyed the
first church, built close to this
site by Martim Afonso shortly
after his arrival. The second
parish church was built inland
on this present site. However,
it fared no better, and was
ransacked by pirates. The
current bulding, standing on
its ruins, is named in honor
of the Spanish saint who is
patron of the city.
Also in the city center
are the remains of Martim
Afonso's former home,
and the first brick building
in Brazil. These are housed
inside the impressive late
19th-century Casa Martim
Afonso , along with a few
other interesting pieces of
colonial bric-a-brac.
E Casa Martim Afonso
Rua Martim Afonso 24, Centro.
Tel [phone].
# 9am-5pm Tue-Fri; 10am-6pm
Sat, Sun & public hols.
R Igreja Matriz de São
Vicente Mártir
Praça João Pessoa s/n, Centro
# irregular timings.

The pleasant, laid-back port
town of São Vicente is known
more for its historical
significance than the usual
tourist attractions.
In 1532, Martim Afonso
de Sousa established a small
settlement on the eastern
shores of South America.
Thus Brazil was born, in the
words of Afonso's brother,
with “each man as lord of
his own property, and private
injuries redressed, and all the
other benefits of a secure and
sociable life.” São Vicente
is the scene of that noble
beginning, though only a
handful of relics belonging
to that distinguished past can
be found today.

Proud display of trophies at the Memorial das Conquistas, Santos