Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Maranhão
Maranhão
is where the Northeast and Amazônia collide. Although classed as a
Northeastern state by Brazilians, its climate, landscape, history, and capital of
São Luís
are all
amazônico
rather than
nordestino
. Drought is not a problem here; the
climate
is
equatorial - humid, hot and very wet indeed. The rainy season peaks from January to
April, but most months it rains at least a little, and usually a lot - although only in
concentrated, refreshing bouts for most of the year. The
coast
also changes character:
the enormous beaches of the Northeast give way, from São Luís westwards, to a
bewildering jumble of creeks, river estuaries, mangrove swamps and small islands,
interspersed with some of the most remote beaches in Brazil - almost 500km of largely
roadless coastline with towns and villages accessible only from the sea. For most
travellers there are two primary targets: the dozy, historic and immensely appealing
colonial city of
São Luís
, home to the
Bumba-meu-boi
in June, and the wondrous
dunes of the
Parque Nacional dos Lençóis
.
São Luís
The steamy, tropical capital of Maranhão,
SÃO LUÍS
has the potential to be one of
the most compelling destinations in all Brazil, with a gorgeous, albeit half-decayed,
colonial heart and an enticing Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage that has spawned the
nation's biggest
reggae
scene and the
Bumba-meu-boi
(see box, p.318). São Luís is
far larger than it seems from the compact, crumbling
centro histórico
; built on
Ilha
de São Luís
within the larger delta formed by the
Pindaré
and
Itapicuru
rivers, over a
million people live here, most of them in sprawling
favelas
. The middle classes tend
to live in the high-rises in the beach areas of Ponta da Areia, São Francisco and
Olho d'Agua, linked to the rest of the city by a ring road and the bridge across the
Rio Anil. The commercial heart of the city lies just to the east of the
centro histórico
,
with pedestrianized
Rua Grande
the main drag, running west from elegantly faded
Praça João Lisboa - wander up here during the day to get a taste of the city's
chaotic, bustling shopping zone.
Yet it's really the
centro histórico
that makes São Luís so special, with its cobbled
streets,
azulejos
(see box below), smattering of museums and the ubiquitous black
vultures lurking on tile roofs. Though parts might appear intimidating, exploring is
safe enough during the day, and the similarly intriguing old town of
Alcântara
across
the river adds to the appeal. You should also bear in mind that many streets have two
names - Rua do Trapiche, for example, is also known as Rua Portugal - and signage is
quite poor.
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Brief history
São Luís was actually founded by the French in 1612, who managed to hold on to
“France Équinoxiale” (little more than a fort) for three years before being kicked out by
the Portuguese. The Dutch sacked the city and held the area for three years from 1641,
building the small fort that now lies in ruins on a headland between Calhau and Ponta
THE AZULEJOS OF SÃO LUÍS
On narrow, steep streets leading down to the river you'll see the lovely, glazed-tile frontages,
the
azulejos
, which are the signature of São Luís. Salvador has finer individual examples of
azulejo
, but taken as a whole the
azulejos
of colonial São Luís are unmatched for the scale of
their use and their abstract beauty - you'll see them plastered all over the old town, in various
stages of restoration and decay. Most are early nineteenth century; some, with characteristic
mustard-coloured shapes in the glazing, date back to the 1750s. Remarkably, many of the
oldest tiles arrived in São Luís by accident, as ballast in cargo ships.
