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The history of the city began just a little bit after the Discovery of Brazil,
in the remote years of 1534, when the lands of the captaincy of Ilhéus were donated to the Portuguese Jorge de Figueiredo Corrêa. The
headquarters of the hereditary captaincy received the name of Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus.
The economic growth of the village surpassed the expectations and, before 1560,
São Jorge de de Ilhéus already produced sugar cane. Besides having no problems in relation to money, Ilhéus was a tranquil place. The Indians
that lived in the region helped the colonizers in the plantations and were fundamental in the defence of the seaside of Ilhéus against the
attacks of the pirates.
The indigenous influence in Ilhéus wasn't limited just to the unskilled labour.
Several customs were inherited from the indians, who also affected the manner of speaking and alimentation of the Portuguese. Before them, the
colonizers didn't know various types of fruits and didn't know how to prepare the corn and manioc flours.
In spite of the pacific terms, the indians didn't accept being enslaved. It was
one of the points that collaborated in the implantation of the traffic of slaves on the Baiana Coast in the end of the 16th
century.
In the 17th century, Ilhéus started to fall into decline and didn't
develop like the rest of the country. However, in 1754, the village began to grow a bit with the end of the heriditary captaincies that caused
the plantation of cacao. The first seeds of the plant were brought from Pará and from others places in the Amazonic region.
Starting in the 20th century, the history of Ilhéus was very close to
the development of the productive cacao farms. There was the period when the Brazilian Government gave land to those who wanted to invest in
the cacao plantations. The city began to receive various migrants coming from others regions of the North East and the population
grew.
During the 20's, Ilhéus lived the moment of the greatest prosperity of its
history. The port was built which promoted the integration of the city until the world. Various foreigners started to come to the city, mainly
artists, offering a cultural interchange that influenced in a positive way the life of the local people.
This is the period narrated by Jorge Amado in his novels. The city was the
symbol of the prosperity of the "Barões do Cacau" (Cacao Barons) until the 80's, when the plantations of Ilhéus were attacked by the
"Vassoura de Bruxas" (Witch's Broom), a disease that destroys the cacao trees. In spite of the strangling of the farmers during
several years, today the exploration of cacao has become important again to the region, which today also invests in tourism. |
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