History of Brazil

Brazil Travel / History - Brazil's pre - colonial period comprises the time between the official discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral in 1500 and the official foundation of São Vicente by Martim Afonso de Sousa in 1532 (Start of the colonial period).

During this period, the Portuguese Crown did not pay much heed to its new colony. To their knowledge, the brazilwood (pau - brasil) seemed to be the countries only asset.

Only the expeditions of Jõa de Lisbõa (1515) and Juan Diaz de Solis (1516) to the mouth of Río de la Plata, between Argentine and Uruguay, revived rumors of a myterious Peabiru Trail and the existence of gold and silver in the Sierra de la Plata mountains.

The suspicion of gold and silver mines on the one hand and the increased presence of the French along the Brazilian coast on the other hand, finally led king John III (Dom João III) to send again an armed expedition under the command of the Portuguese nobleman Martim Afonso de Sousa to Brazil.

In parallel, the pre-colonial brazilwood trade with the Indians increasingly inspired European adventurers (e.g. João Ramalho to come to Brazil and to setlle along the coast.