Pelourinho is the name of a neighborhood of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia; it is a collection of colonial architecture recognized as Cultural Patrimony by UNESCO.

Pelourinho , Brazil

Location:

  

Pelourinho is located in Salvador's historic town center in the Cidade Alta (Upper city), and is located slightly to the east of the center of town, just off of the Rua de Alfredo Brito.

Architectural Structure :

  

Pelourinho ("Pelo" to the locals) is an old town with many colonial-style churches and buildings painted in pastel colors, also considered to be the most important complex of colonial architecture in all of Latin America. It’s on a hill above the rest of the town.

 The town is surrounded by several houses in the old colonial style, including the house of the founder Jorge Amado and churches like the Rosários dos Homens Pretos and Catedral Basílica, two great examples of architecture in the colonial era.

               

              Some buildings are more beautiful outside than inside, seeing that the town hall reformed only the frontages in order to attract the tourists. On the other hand some houses are more beautiful inside what is really amazing how such nice places are hidden behind the frontages. 

 The district is famous for its history, music, nightlife, shops, handcrafts, restaurants, pubs, museum, artists, and particularly for its capoeira. It is a very culturally rich city and is noted for its large Carnival celebrations, which including a strong Afro-Brazilian musical and spiritual component.

 The Prédio do Senac is a regular school of gastronomy in which visitors can sample typical Bahian dishes and in the evenings can frequently watch performances of dances and other folk events.

                You can also visit the last slave market in Brazil; the First African Church in the new world, built in 1704; art galleries, souvenirs shops and various other important historical landmarks. Pelourinho is an amazing place. It is very common to see tourists taking photos and recording all the beauty of this place.

 History of Pelourinho, Brazil

  

Pelourinho means "whipping" in Portuguese, and this town was formerly used for buying and selling of slaves in the days when slavery was common. The city has the most important African influence anywhere in the world, outside the African continent.

                The construction of churches and housing projects, intensified in the 17th century, when large landowners demonstrated their power in the architecture of aristocratic residences.

 In the end of the slavery in Brazil in 1835, Pelourinho started to call attention of all sort of artists, especially regarding cinema, music and painting, what turned the place into a rich cultural centre.

 Since the 1960s, Pelourinho suffered serious degradation process, with the modernization of the city and the transfer of economic activities with other parts of the capital of Bahia, which transformed the region's historical center in a den of prostitution and marginality.

 In 1991 started a great restoration of Pelourinho what turned the place into a real special area for tourists. The area has now been gentrified and houses a number of galleries, cafes, boutiques and nightlife venues. Along with the rest of Salvador's historic city-center has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 There are already many investments in Pelourinho because of its growth and valorization perspectives are bigger. More and more investments have been attracting to invest in this town.