São Luís: The City of Azulejos
São Luís is Brazil's only city with a UNESCO-listed historic centre covered in Portuguese azulejo tiles — the 18th- and 19th-century mansions with their facades of blue, green, and yellow ceramic tiles create an architectural landscape found nowhere else
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Azulejo-covered mansions
The noble mansions of the historic center of São Luís are covered from floor to ceiling with Portuguese ceramic tiles – originally protecting the buildings from tropical humidity; the effect of entire streets in blue azulejos is extraordinary and unique in America
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Rua Portugal
The most famous street in the historic center – lined with mansions in perfect blue azulejos – is the typical image of São Luís; the width of the street, the colonial proportions and the tile reflections in the afternoon rain are magnificent
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Casa das Minas Terreiro
Casa das Minas - one of the oldest Afro-Brazilian religious houses in Brazil - is located in the historic city center; The jeje-mahi candomblé tradition maintained here, with Dahomean (Benin) origins, is one of Brazil's most important African cultural survivals
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Palácio dos Leões
Palácio dos Leões – the governor's palace on São Luís beach – was originally built by the French in 1612 and later expanded by the Portuguese; the building's history of French, Dutch and Portuguese occupation reflects São Luís' unusual colonial history
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Reviver Cultural Center
The Centro de Cultura Popular Domingos Vieira Filho (Reviver) – in a restored historic mansion – is São Luís' premier cultural institution; the exhibitions on bumba meu boi, tambor de crioula and reggae culture are important
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Cathedral Basilica
São Luís Cathedral – built by the Jesuits in 1629 and rebuilt several times – stands in the heart of the historic city center; the baroque interior and tiled exterior represent three centuries of colonial religious architecture