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Salvador Was Chosen As Capital in 1549 for Economic and Strategic Reasons, Being Replaced by Rio During the Gold Cycle and Later by Brasília
The first Brazilian capital was Salvador, officially founded on March 29, 1549. Initially called São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, the city was chosen by the Portuguese Crown for its strategic and economic importance.
Captaincies Did Not Work As Expected
Before the establishment of the General Government, Brazil was organized into hereditary captaincies between 1534 and 1549. These strips of land were granted to nobles trusted by King D. João III.
However, the system failed due to lack of resources and constant indigenous attacks. Some captaincies were abandoned.
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To reorganize the territory, the General Government was created with the aim of making the colony grow in a more structured way.
Salvador Became Capital Due to the Northeast’s Economy
The choice of Salvador as the seat of the new government was due to the economic strength of the region at the time. The Northeast concentrated the largest extraction of brazilwood and was the main sugar-producing area.
The geographical location of Salvador also facilitated the export of these products. Tomé de Sousa, a Portuguese military and politician, was the first governor-general of Brazil, serving from 1549 to 1553.
Rio de Janeiro Replaces Salvador with the Gold Cycle
Salvador remained as the capital for 214 years. The change occurred in 1763. The reason was the discovery of gold in regions such as Minas Gerais, Goiás, and Mato Grosso.
With the decline of sugarcane and the rise of mining, the Portuguese government moved the seat of power to Rio de Janeiro.
The new capital was closer to the extraction areas and facilitated the oversight of the gold cycle.
In a little-known episode, Curitiba was named the capital of Brazil for just three days, from March 24 to 27, 1969. Since April 21, 1960, the official capital of the country has been Brasília.
With information from Toda Matéria.
