The origins of modern Brazil can be found in the northeast. Here lies the so-called Discovery Coast, where explorers from Portugal (Pedro Alvares Cabral arrived in Bahia in 1500) came ashore and established the country's first European settlements. The area's natural beauty is exuberant and is best known for its the islands, beaches and coves of its scenic coastline. In places like Salvador and Recife, the country offers its richest manifestation of popular culture. The Northeast Region, made up of nine states: Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia. In the Northeast we find an everlasting summer climate and the most charming beaches of the continent, from the fascinating Canoa Quebrada beaches, in Ceará, to Genipabu, with its sand dunes, in Rio Grande do Norte; Ponta do Seixas and Cabo Branco in Paraíba; Porto de Galinhas and the archipelago of Fernando de de Noronha, in Pernambuco; Pratagy in Alagoas; from Atalaia Velha, in Sergipe, to Porto Seguro, in Bahia, among many others. \ In the vibrant northeast, we find varied musical styles and rhythms, such as the forró, mangue, frevo, ciranda, maracatu and the lambada. These once-derided folk styles are rapidly gaining in international popularity, and their places of origin are attracting similar attention. Carnaval celebrations are always a hoot in the coastal cities. Much of the cuisine was developed on the plantations by slave cooks preparing African recipes and they incorporated local ingredients. One can enjoy the dendê fruit (a native African palm, used for food and oil), several kinds of peppers, spices, tropical fruits, seafood (especially mouth-watering shrimp dishes like vatapá and carurú), shellfish, and cassava, possibly accompanied by the potent caipirinha (sugar cane spirits with lemon added), Brazil's most famous drink or some refreshing coconut milk. Regional handicrafts may be found for sale at the Mercado Modelo in Salvador, at the Casa da Cultura in Recife and at the Feira de Caruaru in Pernambuco. Colonial architecture can be seen in Olinda, Pernambuco and in the borough of Pelourinho, in Salvador. These two places were declared "Mankind's Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO, together with São Luís in Maranhão, possess interesting examples of the use of wall tiles in its 17th and 18th century architecture. At the Serra da Capivara National Park, in the municipality of Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, we find rock paintings which attest to an early appearance of homo sapiens on the South American continent.
The four states that comprise this region – Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco and Paraíba – are often overlooked by visitors. Most travellers whizz through, perhaps stopping for a beach break at Porto de Galinhas or Fernando de Noronha, and a few days in colourful, colonial Olinda. But those who spend time in the region, exploring its buildings, sampling the music and arts scene in Recife or getting lost in the crowds at the great festivals in the sertão find it one of the most interesting, diverse and least spoilt parts of Brazil.
In the first centuries of its colonial history, the region grew rich through sugar and became the commercial and intellectual centre of Brazil. Pernambuco, in particular, retains many magnificent buildings from that period, while the convents in Olinda and Igarassu are fine examples of Iberian baroque. In the late 19th century, the sugar boom subsided and poverty began to spread across the state. Yet the proud intellectual tradition continued, with notables such as Marechal Deodoro, the founder of the Brazilian republic, Gilberto Freyre, who helped forge Brazil’s identity and Francisco Brennand, the surreal artist, all from the area.
The region has never been more culturally exciting than today. In the 1980s Recife saw the explosion of an artistic movement called mangue beat, which sought to fuse the rich heritage of Pernambuco folk art and music with social activism and post- modernism. The resulting cultural fluorescence has helped to make Pernambuco Brazil’s most vibrant cultural state. Artists have ateliers on every other corner in Olinda, while numerous festivals showcase the country’s most innovative film-making and resurrect popular culture. Carnaval in Recife or Olinda is considered by many to be the best and most traditional in the country.
