Brazil History and Culture

Brazil is a young nation with a history tumultuous enough for a country three times its age. Rio’s Centro was Brazil’s colonial and imperial capital, with many historic buildings from and museums pertaining to that era. The city’s Museu da República chronicles the beginnings of Brazil’s current presidential era. Salvador, Brazil’s most African city, has museums dedicated to the rich historical and cultural influence of African immigrants—everything from capoeira to Candomblé. Minas Gerais is filled with attractions relating to the country’s 18th-century mining boom.

Those interested in historic architecture might tire of the sight of the baroque and Rococo churches—which are literally everywhere—in Brazil’s mining boom towns, particularly Diamantina, Goiás Velho, and gaudy Ouro Preto. Forward-looking building buffs can head inland to Brasília, Brazil’s futuristic, airplane-shaped capital, littered with unconventional masterpieces by Modernist Oscar Niemeyer. Charming Olinda and São Luís are beautifully preserved colonial-era relics. All the destinations above are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Art enthusiasts will enjoy the cutting-edge galleries and fine museums of São Paulo, Brazil’s capital of high culture. Rio’s Museu Folclórico offers an excellent survey of native folk art through the years, but the best traditional works (as well as the most exciting work being done by local artists) are found in the studios (ateliêrs) of Salvador’s Pelourinho. Ceará and in particular Fortaleza are known as the centers of traditional art in Brazil; the region’s lacework is legendary, and crafts are for sale at both its Centro Cultural Dragão and the beachfront market held nightly on Praia Meireles. The North is dotted with pockets of indigenous culture, with the state of Amapá taking the national lead in pushing for conservation efforts (best exemplified in its capital, Macapá). The pottery and leatherwork of the Marajó Indians, whose descendants inhabit the Ilha do Marajó near Belém, is also quite popular.

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