Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia has an energy and unadorned beauty that few cities can match. Once the magnificent capital of Portugal’s great New World colony, Salvador is the country’s Afro-Brazilian jewel. Its brilliantly hued center is a living museum of 17th- and 18th-century architecture and gold-laden churches. More importantly, Salvador is the nexus of an incredible arts movement.

Wild festivals happen frequently, with drum corps pounding out powerful rhythms against the backdrop of colonial buildings almost daily. At night, capoeira circles form on plazas and open spaces, while the scent of acarajé (bean and shrimp fritters) and other African delights fills the evening air.

This city, the most colorful of all the cities in Brazil, has preserved the atmosphere of colonial identity on every street, in every house. The most beautiful mansions of landowners and merchants, government offices, monasteries and churches were built here. The church of Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos is located in the old district of Pelurinho, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Here begins the most popular religious holiday of Saint Barbara in El Salvador. In Pelurinho, sidewalks, streets and squares serve as traditional venues for musical performances. In El Salvador, like Rio de Janeiro, a traditional carnival is held, but even on weekdays you can see how they dance a caporeira combining martial art with Negro rhythms. And although the descendants of Negroes profess Catholicism, at the same time they continue the traditions of candomble, which is based on the worship of Orisha spirits associated with the elements, various kinds of human activity and spirituality of being, accompanied by ritual dances, ancient musical instruments and, of course, drums.