Valença is a Brazilian city in the state of

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 ...

and has an estimated population of 97,233. It is visited by tourists because it is the main access to the island of

Ilha de Tinharé Ilha de Tinharé (Tinharé Island) is an island located in the municipality of Cairu, on the coast of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countrie ...

, famous for the town of

Morro de São Paulo Morro de São Paulo (translation: St. Paul's Hill) is one of five villages of the island of Tinharé in the municipality of Cairu, located in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The main beaches of the Morro de São Paulo are located on east side of t ...

. The municipality contains part of the Caminhos Ecológicos da Boa Esperança Environmental Protection Area, created in 2003.

The town

Valença is the largest

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Dendê Coast (costa do dendê), but it is also a placid 16th century colonial fishing town and a dynamic commercial and service center of the region. Famous for its shrimp, Valença has a quay in the port lined by colonial-period buildings such as the Town Hall, ''sobrados'', and warehouses. Valença offers rich historical patrimony that lives in harmony with the picturesque boats on the Una River that divides the city. Three bridges link both sides of the city. Valença was the first industrial center in

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 ...

, with cotton

textile mills Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

and other industries. It is also known for its

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

s, including the of beaches in Guaibim, the Candengo waterfalls, the Ponta do Curral and the Una River with its mangroves. The city is served by Valença Airport.

Crime

In recent history, Valença has become notorious for its high crime rate and drug trafficking.Unknown
/ref> Tourists passing through Valença to get to Morro de São Paulo are advised to be cautious and aware of their surroundings.

History

The territory in which the municipality of Valença is located, at the time of the discovery of Brazil, was inhabited by peaceful Tupiniquim Indians. When Don João III,

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

divided Brazil in 1534 into huge estates (called, ''capitanias hereditárias''), the area of Valença belonged to the Ilhéus estate under the jurisdiction of Vila de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Cairu, location where the first populace was established. People settled on the margins of the river Una in their farms of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and fodder. Apart from these"civilized" settlers, there was also a small village of sugar mills that belonged to a man called Sebastião de Pontes. This violent tempered yet honest man, who was accustomed to wars and fighting and disdained anyone who would contradict or offend him, had taken sides against the indigenous people. At around 1573, a peddler arrived in the

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar. The term is also used to refer ...

dared to offend of Sebastião de Pontes, who immediately ordered the intruder be whipped and marked with a hot iron. It has been told that this peddler, once in Portugal, managed to present himself before the King when he was walking to Mass. The peddler dropped his cloak and revealed the mark on his back, crying for justice. Orders were immediately sent to the capital of Brazil for Sebastião de Pontes to be imprisoned and sent back to Lisbon. The royal government went to Morro de São Paulo in a war ship. The commander of the ship tricked Sebastião de Pontes into boarding the ship and, during lunch, imprisoned him and sent him back to Portugal. He died in a prison in Limoeiro and, with his disappearance, Una lost the only man that had brought so much prosperity. From then on, invaded by the violent Aymores Indians, progress shrunk and colonization of Valença stopped for many years. After the bloody retaliations of the bandeirantes of João Amaro Maciel Parente, the location was finally able to progress, justifying the proposal for the creation of a village in the populace of Una. On 23 January 1799, the Vila de Nova Valença do Santíssimo Coração de Jesus was created, with territory taken from the municipality of Cairu. At this time, the extraction of wood began used for the building of royal army ships and the deforested area was then occupied by farm activities, mostly cassava (mandioca), rice, coffee,

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

and cinnamon. The inhabitants of the neighboring islands that lived in constant confrontation with the Indians and were therefore unable to plant, slowly returned to the area, which was already establishing a population nucleus in the areas surrounding the Nossa Senhora do Amparo chapel. The name Valença was attributed by these newcomers for which the location represented a solution to their problems, Land of Valença, of salvation. Another version says that the name came from counselor Baltasar da Silva Lisboa who wished to pay homage to minister Marques de Valença, subsequently granting the populace the state of village on 10 June 1789, naming it Nova Valença. At around this time, construction of the church Santíssimo Coração de Jesus began. In 1849, the municipal area received the title of city, named Industrial Cidade Valença. Other interesting historical facts The region suffered under the Dutch invasion in Bahia in 1624 and actively participated in the battles for the independence of Bahia. It harbored the fleet of Lord Cochrane, who came to fight the Portuguese in 1823. The role of the city in this battle was so impressive that it received the title of "the decided one" as stated in the city's anthem.

WWII

During

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

, Valença also participated when the German submarines bombarded the ships Itajiba e Irará at its coast. The passengers were saved by the Araripe barge and the wounded were taken to the improvised hospital in the building of the Textile Workers Syndicate, a building with French design and

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. This same building was also the first blood bank of the region. For its active participation, Valença received the title of "city of hospitality". Determined, peaceful and friendly, Valença currently has the main shipyards of Bahia, where ships, barges, sailboats, schooners and even caravels are built, like the copy of the Niña, from the fleet of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

for the film: 1492: Conquest of Paradise, by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

Historic structures

Valença is home to numerous colonial-period historic structures, some designated as Bahian state monuments. The Historic Center of Valença (''Centro Histórico de Valença'') lacks state or federal protection, but is home to numerous historic homes, government buildings, and churches. * House of the City Council of Valença (''Casa da Câmara dos Vereadores'') * House of Dr. Heitor Guedes Mello (''Casa do Dr. Heitor Guedes Mello (Estância Azul)'') * Birthplace of Zacarias Góes de Vasconcelos (''Casa onde nasceu o Conselheiro Zacarias Góes de Vasconcelos'') * Parish Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (''Igreja Matriz Sagrado Coração de Jesus'') * Church of Our Lady of Protection of Valença (''Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo de Valença'')

Notable people

* Zacarias de Góis e Vasconcelos, prime minister of Brazil during the imperial era

References

External links

*
Valança
for travelers in Bahia {{DEFAULTSORT:Valenca, Bahia Populated coastal places in Bahia Populated places established in 1849 1849 establishments in Brazil Municipalities in Bahia