t The burnished colors of the park, as seen from the top of Pedra Furada
t The burnished colors of the park, as seen from the top of Pedra Furada
experience Piauí and Maranhão
The sweltering, tropical state of Maranhão, with its lagoons, giant dunes, and deserted beaches, was originally the homeland of the Tupinambá peoples. Taking advantage of the Portuguese neglect of this area, the French founded the colony of France Équinoxiale in 1612, with coastal São Luís as its capital, by allying with the Tabajara against the Tupinambá (both indigenous groups were decimated by disease in the 18th century). The French held on to their settlement for only three years before being driven out by the Portuguese. Soon after, the region saw a boom in the cotton and sugar industries, with thousands of enslaved Africans brought in to work the plantations. This boom funded the development of São Luís, now considered one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. After the abolition of slavery in 1888 these industries collapsed, leading to an economic slump that lasted well into the 20th century.
In contrast, the interior of Piauí was colonized before its coast. Portuguese cattle farmers migrated from the southeast in the 1670s, pushing out the indigenous peoples. Oeiras was founded as a church settlement in 1695, becoming the capital of Piauí in 1759. The port city of Parnaíba was established in 1761, booming as a major exporter of dried meat. In 1852, the capital was transferred to Teresina, Brazil’s first planned city, built on the banks of Rio Parnaíba in the searing hinterlands. Cattle ranching dominated the Piauí economy well into the 20th century, while Maranhão managed to exploit its aluminium reserves and palm oil products; however, both remain among the poorest states in the country today.