Salvador de Bahia, Brazil (Mar 7-8)
Salvador de Bahia, or more commonly Salvador, is the fourth largest city in Brazil with a population of about 3 million. Founded in 1549, it is one of the oldest cities in the Americas and the first capital of Brazil. In 1558, it became the first slave market in the New World and remains the most “African” of all Brazilian cities. Because of its colonial architecture, the old historic center of Pelourinho was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. The city was created on two levels, upper and lower, with upper being the older, and lower, with its beaches, more modern.
According to Guinness World Records, Salvador hosts the biggest Carnival in the world.
We took a cyclo tour, then walked in the old town
Unhappy fact gleaned at Museum of African-American history: the US got about 9 % of slaves taken from Africa; Brazil got about 38%.
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