Sao Cristovao

Sao Cristovao is a Brazilian municipality in the Northeastern state of Sergipe. Founded at the mouth of the Vaza-Barris River on January 1, 1590, the municipality is the fourth oldest settlement in Brazil. Sao Cristovao is noted for its historic city square, Sao Francisco Square, and numerous early colonial-period buildings. The 3 hectares site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Sao Cristovao was established by the Portuguese in a time when Portugal, Spain and the Naples kingdoms were under the rule of Philip II of Spain as one of the first colonization attempts in Sergipe, which makes the city the fourth oldest one in Brazil. In 1590 the Portuguese sent Cristovao de Barros to both subjugate the region to colonial rule and establish a safe trading port between Salvador and Pernambuco.

The development of the town followed the Portuguese urban model, that is, in two plans: the higher town, where the headquarters of the civil and religious powers are; and lower town, with the harbour, the factories, and the low income population. The economy of Sao Cristovao initially depended on the establishment of cattle herds for meat, milk, and leather. The settlement was completely destroyed by the Dutch in 1637. Tobacco and sugarcane plantations were established in the 17th century, and remained into the modern period. Sao Cristovao was the state capital until 1855, when the provincial president Inacio Joaquim Barbosa moved the capital to Aracaju.