The following is a timeline of the history of the city of São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.
Before the 16th century
Present-day São Luís was a large village of the Tupinambá people
16th century
1535. Division of Brazil by the Portuguese into hereditary captaincies. 1536. Donatory-Captain of Maranhão João de Barros granted colonization of Maranhão region. 1550s. Nazaré founded by João de Barros, in the general vicinity of present-day São Luís. 1550s. Nazaré abandoned by the Portuguese due to indigenous resistance and difficulty in access to the site.
17th century
1611. French friars of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin describe site of the promontory of São Luís. 1612. August 12. Settlement of Saint-Louis as part of Equinoctial France and celebration of inaugural mass. September 8. Declaration of foundation of Saint-Louis by Daniel de La Touche and end of the construction of the Fort of Saint Louis. 1614. Fort of Saint Louis augmented to guard against invasion of the new colony; governor's residence built as part of expansion of fort. 1614. Governor General of Brazil orders military expedition under Jerônimo de Albuquerque from Pernambuco to French Saint-Louis. 1615. November 4. Portugal, as part of the Iberian Union, retake Maranhão in the Battle of Guaxenduba, and expel the French. City retains the name São Luís for the urban center; the fort is renamed Fort of São Felipe in honor of Philip IV. City plan on grid system laid out by the Chief Engineer of Brazil, Francisco Frias de Mesquita. 1621. State of Maranhão established with São Luís as capital, independent from the State of Brazil and subordinate to Lisbon. Church of Our Lady of Victory (Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Vitória), first parish church of São Luís. 1619. São Luís, elevated to the category of town (vila), with establishment of Municipal Council. Brothers of the Carmelite Order enters São Luís. 1623 September 23. Francisco Coelho de Carvalho appointed the first Governor and Captain General of the State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará. 1624. Governor Coelho de Carvalho orders the renovation of Fort São Felipe and reconstruction of first Governors' residence on site. 1641. Dutch occupation of São Luís by Admiral Jan Cornelizoon Lichtardt and Colonel Koin Anderson, as wider Dutch invasions of Brazil. 1642. São Luís has a population of 700-800 and 500 to 600 houses. 1644. Portuguese reoccupation of São Luís by Antonio Muniz Barreiros and Teixeira de Melo, the plantation owners of the Mearim River region. 1654. State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará established. 1661. Jesuit Father Antônio Vieira deported to Portugal over dispute on the treatment of indigenous peoples in Maranhão. 1665. Caminho Grande, a road connecting the urban center to the villages and towns in the interior, consolidated. 1670. São Luís elevated to the category of city (cidade). 1642. São Luís has a population of approximately 1,000. 1684. Beckman's Revolt occurs based on local discontent against the Maranhão Trading Company.
18th century
1717. Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black People granted land and immediately begins construction on the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. 1718. Population of Saõ Luís: 854. 1751. July 31. The State of Maranhão renamed State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará by order of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, with its capital transferred from São Luís to Belém. 1755. Creation of the General Trading Company of Grão-Pará and Maranhão to introduce cotton cultivation in Maranhão and introduction of African slave labor. 1759. Expulsion of the Jesuits from Maranhão. 1762. Governor's residence converted to administrative office. 1766. Governor Joaquim de Melo e Póvoas orders demolition of first Government Palace. 1772. State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará split into two different states, the State of Grão-Pará and Rio Negro and the State of Maranhão and Piauí; both autonomous of the Brazilian colonial government. 1778. Azulejo tiles first imported to Maranhão from Portugal and used extensively on buildings in the Historic Center of the city. 1780. Port of São Luís becomes center of export of cotton and sugar after the United States War of Independence. 1787. The pillory erected at the Largo dos Amores. 1788. Population of São Luís: 16,580.
19th century
1811. Population of São Luís: approximately 30,000. 1812. Completion of the Quinta das Laranjeiras Gate. 1814. Completion of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, with celebration of first procession and mass. 1817 Completion and consecration of the Church of São Pantelão. Opening of the Hospital of São José of the Holy House of Mercy (Hospital de São José da Santa Casa de Misericórdia). Opening of the first theater, Teatro União, now Artur Azevedo Theater. 1818. Economy of Maranhão reaches one million pounds, and the fourth most populous city in Brazil. 1821. February 28. Captaincy of Maranhão becomes the Province of Maranhão under the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Foundation of the first printing house, Tipografia Nacional; and first newspaper, O Conciliador do Maranhão. 1823. Portuguese driven from Maranhão by Admiral Lord Cochrane during Brazil's war of independence. July 28. Maranhão joins the Empire of Brazil, 11 months after the wider Declaration of the Independence of Brazil. 1825. First public lighting in São Luís, powered by olive oil, and later turpentine alcohol. 1829. Foundling wheel placed in Church of São Pantelão by the Holy House of Mercy. 1831. The Setembrada revolt breaks out, calling for the expulsion of Portuguese and the Franciscan friars. Prohibition of burials inside church buildings and mandate of burials outside the city as part of wider sanitary reforms in Brazil. 1836. Foundation of first public library. 1838. The Balaiada Revolt broke out, a popular movement that opposed the rural aristocracy. 1839. Foundation of first high school, Liceu. 1840. São Luís has 22 lime mills, six rice mills, six printing presses, three soap and candle factories, two cotton presses, eight potteries. 1841. The School of Artisan Education (Escola dos Educandos Artífices) opened at Largo do Diamante (now Praça da República) to educate poor youth. Construction began on the Sagração Wharf (Cais da Sagração). 1847. Creation of the Commercial Bank of Maranhão (Banco Comercial do Maranhão). 1849. Construction of the Public Slaughterhouse by engineer João Nunes de Campos and Manoel Antônio da Silva Campelo. 1852. Establishment of the Portuguese Reading Cabinet (Gabinete Português de Leitura), an intellectual society similar to those in Salvador, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro. 1855. Establishment of the Gavião Cemetery, formerly known as the São Pantaleão Cemetery. 1852. Reliquary image Relics of Saint Severa brought from Italy and placed in Church of São Pantelão. 1854. Companhia Confiança Maranhense established to construct commercial stores for rental. 1861. Companhia de Iluminação e Gás do Maranhão installs hydrogen gas lighting. 1866. City Chamber establishes building codes to address aesthetic and sanitation issues. 1862. Campos Melo Ramp, second ramp built at end Rua do Trapiche. 1863. Sidewalk paving in Portuguese lioz stone added as part of modernization of São Luís. 1881. Publication of O Mulato by Aluísio Azevedo, a novel about Mixed-race Brazilians in São Luís. 1889. Proclamation of the Republic; Province of Maranhão becomes the current state of Maranhão 1891. Promulgation of first State Constitution. 1896. Façade of Governor's Palace greatly modified under state governor Manuel Inácio Belfort Vieira.
20th century
1906. Governor Benedito Leite begins a large scale urban renewal project in the Historic Center of São Luís, including the modification of the façade of Governor's Palace. 1924. Inauguration of the first electric tram in city. 1936. Otacílio Saboya Ribeiro implements modernization plan. 1939. Marist Brother purchase the Quinta das Laranjeiras and demolish all its buildings with the exception of the monumental gate and Chapel; Marist Brothers College is built on site. 1942. grass track serves as airbase of the Brazilian Army, and site of future Tirirical Airport. 1946. Holy House of Mercy cedes orphanage to Casa das Missões of São José and church to the Archbishop of São Luís. 1955. Federal listing of Architectural and Landscape Ensembles of Benedito Leite Square, João Francisco Lisboa Square, Largo do Desterro, and Gonçalves Dias Square. 1970. Construction of the Bacanga Dam. 1971. Opening of the Governor José Sarney Bridge. 1980s. Reggae music gains widespread popularity in the city, earning it nicknames such as the "Brazilian Jamaica". 1980. Alumar aluminum factory established in São Luís; production continued to 2015. 1983. Alcântara Space Center, the launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency, established in nearby Alcântara. 1972. February 5. Cafuá das Mercês, a former slave auction house, opens as a museum dedicated to the history of slavery in São Luís. October 17. Tirirical Airport renamed Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport. 1997. UNESCO declares the World Heritage Site of São Luís.
21st century
2003. August 22. The Alcântara VLS accident, where a rocket ignited on the launch pad of the Alcântara Space Center, killing 21 people.
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