A sight into the cultural center of Brazil.

1. The cultural center of Brazil

3. • This is the stunning Salvador, perhaps the city
that ilustrates most the cultural diversity of
Brazil. It is one of the oldest cities and also its
first capital. A mixture of past, present and
future.
• Salvador is the strongest link to our African
roots.

5.  Founded in March 29th of 1549 and with an
area of 693,276 km² and a population of
2 883 672 habitants, the city of Salvador is the
capital of Bahia. It is located in the Brazilian
Northeast coast of Brazil.
 Because of its unique history, culture and the
countless turistic sights, Salvador stands out
as one of the most visited cities in the country.

7. • Cuisine, architecture, arts, religion... Salvador
is remarkable in all these and many other
fields.
• It would take me forever to tell you all the
details about this city, but I won’t miss the
chance to show you the highlights...

9. • Well... Shall we start with religion then?
• Salvador is widely known for its african
influence. When the slaves first came to
Brazilian soil, they were prohibited to worship
their gods and forced into Catholicism.
• These slaves then iniciated a spetacular
cultural phenomena, a fusion between
religions.

10. • They would worship the Orixás, African devine
ancestors, each responsable for a force of
Nature, atributing to each one of them a
correspondent Catholic Saint.
• This mixture of different religions, called
syncretism, originated Candomblé.

11. • The most interesting thing about Candomblé
is that it is the only religion on the planet
which defends the belief that the human
being is the only one responsible for its own
fate.
• No prejudices and judgements come from the
Orixás but all men are encouraged to be good
and fair to each other. A brilliant belief in my
opinion.

13. • Now Architecture... if you are a fan, as I am,
you will be delighted with the architectural
richness of Salvador.
• Buildings from the XV and XVI centuries
inevitably draw the atention of anyone.
• There are 372 catholic churches in Salvador.
• How about a tour through the streets of the
city? Check it out.

27. • Nowadays, only handicrafts are sold at
Mercado Modelo, but in the past slaves were
sold and kept at the subterrain facilities of the
market.

29. • And, of course, there is Arena Fonte Nova, a
soccer stadium built for the 2014 World Cup
but also to be used by local teams such as:
Bahia and Vitória.

32. • It’s just impossible not mention the food. The
African influence is all over the cuisine of
Bahia.
• The most typical ingredient is azeite de dendê,
an oil extracted from a palm tree
• Among the typical dishes of Salvador is the
famous acarajé, sort of a fried bread made
from black-eyed pea flour, sold on street
corners and in squares as a snack, by the
iconic baianas. If you ask for a hot acaraje, get
prepared. Hot means with a lot of pepper.
• You must also try vatapá, caruru, mugunzá.

35. • Vatapá is a dish made from bread, schrimp,
coconut milk, finely ground peanuts an palm
oil mashed into a creamy paste. This food is
very popular in the North and Northeast, but
it is more typical in the northeastern state of
Bahia where it is commonly eaten with
araraje, although Vatapá is often eaten with
white rice in other regions of Brazil.

37. Caruru
• Caruru is made from okra, onion, shrimp,
palm oil and toasted nuts ( peanuts or
cashews). It is a typical condiment in the
northeastern state of Bahia where it is
commonly eaten with acaraje.

39. Munguzá
• This is a sweet dish made mainly of either
white corn (Southeast Brazil) or yellow corn
(Northeast Brazil), condensed milk, coconut
milk, and spices.

41. • I hope you’ve learned a little bit more about
Salvador. If you have the chance, you should
definetly come and see this stunning city with
your own eyes. I ensure it will be an ultimate
lifetime experience.