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At first, Ilhabela was called the São Sebastião Island it was only in 1944 that
is received the actual name. It was discovered on January 20th, 1502 by the genoese navigator Américo Vespúcio, that sailed under
the Portuguese Crown and was named São Sebastião because it was discovered on the day of the saint. The indians who lived on the island called
the place Ciribaí which means a tranquil place to live in.
Ilhabela was one of the first regions to be settled on the Northern Paulistana
coast because it had a very good seaport. However, its biggest development occurred thanks to the growth of the sugar mills that produced
sugar and "cachaça" (sugar rum) for exportation. Among the mills that functioned in the region, two of them are the most notable:
The D'Água mill and the Cocaia mill.
The farms started to develop, besides the plantation of sugar cane, beans,
fruit, coffee, manoc and corn. Part of the agricutural production was taken to the Santos where it was commercialized. As time when by, coffee
started to substitute part of the sugar cane mills. The "canoa de voga", a type of boat with oars, used to transport the population
that went to the neighboring cities.
With the decline in the exportation of the coffee, the population of the island
startedto fish as a way to survive the economical decline. The fishing maintain the commerce for a long time and, thanks to this, the people
of the island managed to feed themselves and get the necessary money to live in.
The island was a place with inumerous natural riches and an excellent location.
It was also a strategic point to facilitate the commerce between the neighboring cities, it the colonial age as well as today. For example,
the pirates and corsairs waited for boats that came from Portugal in the São Sebastião channel because they were protected in this place and
could attack the boats without giving them a chance to defend themselves. Here is where the legend begins that on the island there are hidden
treasures, since after robbing the riches, the pirates hid themselves in the Castelhanos Bay.
Ilhabela was transformed into a city in 1901 when it was still called Vila Bela.
In 1940, the city had its name changed to Formosa and it was only in 1944 that it received its actual name. The arrival of the raft in 1958,
caused a real revolution in the city. In the 60's, the tourism began to develop and the government invested in the infrastructure of the place
to transform it into a city that offers not only natural attractives but also comfort for the visitors. In 1997, Ilhabela was declared a
Biological Reserve and State Park.
Today Ilhabela is one of the most visited tourist points of São Paulo State
because it has various options for ecological hikes, without mentioning the visitors who arrive at the place just to see the waterfalls and
beautiful beaches. |
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