The arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil took place on April 22, 1500.
On that day, navigators led by Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in the region of the current city of Porto Seguro. There they remained from April 22nd to May 2nd 1500.
The main written testimony of the arrival of the Portuguese was the account of the clerk Pero Vaz de Caminha, which went down in history as the "Letter from Caminha".
The discovery of Brazil
The expedition that arrived in Brazil on April 22, 1500 - date that is commemorated as the Discovery of Brazil - began in Lisbon, Portugal, from where the navigators left on the 9th of March 1500.
Pedro Álvares Cabral led this expedition and, according to history, he was the one who "discovered" Brazil.
According to history, the destination of the expedition was Calicut, India, on the path taken by Vasco da Gama, in 1497-1498. But, several historians agree that, before arriving in India, Cabral had the mission to check if there was land in southern America.
Cabral's squadron consisted of 9 ships, 3 caravels and 1 shuttle. Between 1200 and 1500 people followed, including religious, soldiers and interpreters.
The trip went smoothly, with the boats stopping for water supplies in the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde archipelago.
By April 18, navigators were already close to Brazilian lands, more precisely, close to Bahia de Todos os Santos.
On the 21st, the sailors spotted plants, such as the botelho and the tail of a donkey (or donkey's tail) and, in the The next morning, they saw birds like the broccoli, unmistakable signs that there was land in the nearby. Later, they saw a mountain and, as it was Easter time, they called it Monte Pascoal.
The navigators thought that Brazil was an island and, for this reason, the first name they gave it it was Ilha de Vera Cruz (vera, real or real), but later they called it Terra de Santa Cross. This was a sign that Cabral and the other captains realized that Brazil was a continent and not an island.
Although the Portuguese arrived in Brazil on April 22, it was only on April 23 that one of the captains, Nicolau Coelho, disembarked accompanied by some men. On the beach, about twenty indigenous people from the Tupiniquim ethnic group were waiting.
The next morning, the boats docked and two indigenous people were taken on board. According to Pero Vaz de Caminha, both were impressed by the chickens, and indicated that there would be gold on land.
Finally, on April 26, Pedro Alvares Cabral he landed with the religious and ordered an altar to be erected, where a mass was celebrated. On May 1st, another mass - accompanied by a procession - was celebrated.
In order to determine the coordinates where they were, the Portuguese built a large wooden astrolabe and, on May 2, the boats weighed anchor and sailed towards the Indies, leaving two exiled people on the coast.
However, the vessel commanded by Gaspar Lemos returned to Portugal to inform King Dom Manuel I about the discovery of the lands. On this occasion the "Letter from Pero Vaz" would be delivered.
For some historians, the return of Gaspar Lemos to Portugal reinforces the idea that the discovery of Brazil was not intentional but, rather, planned by the Portuguese.
see more: Discovery of Brazil
Historical context of the discovery of Brazil
Cabral's journey must be understood in the context of the Great Navigations undertaken by Portugal and Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Both countries were trying to find a way to the Indies and thus trade directly with the Asian continent. In this way, the merchants of Genoa and Venice would be avoided.
Spain, with the trip of Christopher Columbus, managed to prove that it would be possible to travel towards the east. In turn, the Portuguese sailed the entire African coast.
In order to no longer fight for maritime domain, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, in 1494.
Navigations continued. In 1497-98, Vasco da Gama managed to reach the Indies and, in this way, establish commercial contacts in the region.
In 1500, Cabral's squadron left with the aim of strengthening these ties. However, it is believed that he should also find out if there was land on this side of America.
The oceanic navigations of Portugal and Spain continued throughout the 16th century and the world was never the same.
Read too: Letter from Pero Vaz de Caminha and Brazil Discovery Day.
