Mata de São João is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

in the North-East region of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It covers and a population of 47,126 (2020 est.). Mata de São João has a population density of 73 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located from the state capital of Bahia, Salvador.

History

Mata de São João was settled by the Portuguese in 1549 with the arrival of Tomé de Souza in Brazil. De Souza appointed his son Garcia de Sousa d'Ávila (1528-1609) to build a fortress on the Bahia coast. De Sousa d'Ávila built the Garcia d'Ávila Tower House and Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception complex, which consisted of a fort, a castle, and a church. The castle is a unique example of medieval architectural in the Americas. The site is now in ruins. De Sousa d'Ávila also became one of the largest land owners in the Americas; its holdings extended from Bahia to present-day

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

in the north. The Casa da Torre established numerous sugarcane plantations in the Bahia region and cattle ranches in

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

and the semi-arid sertão of São Francisco. The Casa da Torre was also a center of enslavement of native Brazilians and the importation of African slaves. The descendants of Tomé de Souza are also noted for their cruelty and torture of slaves at Mata de São João; their acts of barbarity are noted in the 18th-century records of the

Portuguese Inquisition The Portuguese Inquisition (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in 15 ...

Notable events

Mata de São João hosted

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team () represents Croatia in men's international Association football, football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEF ...

during their stay in

at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

References

Populated coastal places in Bahia Municipalities in Bahia {{Bahia-geo-stub

History

Notable events

See also

References