Founding
municipality of Espírito Santo state, Brazil
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São Mateus is the eighth oldest municipality in Brazil and the seventh most populous in the state of Espírito Santo. Founded on September 21, 1544, it gained municipal autonomy in 1764. Originally named Povoado do Cricaré, it was renamed São Mateus in 1566 by Father Joseph of Anchieta. According to 2022 Census, its population is approximately 123,750 inhabitants. São Mateus is considered a milestone in the colonization of Espírito Santo's territory.
It has the largest Afro-descendant population in the state, a legacy of the Port of São Mateus, which, until the mid-19th century, was a major entry point for enslaved Africans in Brazil. The municipality also includes descendants of Italian immigrants, who contributed to the colonization of its rural hinterlands.
Its economy is driven by service provision and the exploration and production of petroleum. Petroleum fields were discovered in the 1970s, with further expansion in the 1980s. In the 2000s, the North Capixaba Terminal was established in the Campo Grande region to handle the region's production output.
Located at a latitude of 18º42'58" South and a longitude of 39º51'21" West, São Mateus sits at an altitude of 36 meters. Its total area is 2,338.727 square kilometres (902.988 sq mi), representing 5.12% of Espírito Santo's territory. It borders Boa Esperança, Pinheiros, and Conceição da Barra to the north; São Gabriel da Palha, Vila Valério, Jaguaré, and Linhares to the south; the Atlantic Ocean to the east; and Nova Venécia to the west. It is 215 kilometres (134 mi) from the state capital, Vitória. São Mateus is also known for its strong tourism appeal, both historical and seasonal. The carnival in Guriri, the municipality's main beach resort, is one of the liveliest in the state and is nationally recognized, attracting many tourists, particularly from Minas Gerais.
From its founding in 1544 until the mid-16th century, the small settlement along the banks of the São Mateus River was known as Povoação do Cricaré. The name São Mateus honors the evangelist Matthew, as Father Joseph of Anchieta, during one of his pilgrimages through the then Captaincy of Espírito Santo in 1566, celebrated a mass on September 21, Saint Matthew's Day. Following the custom of naming places and geographical features after the saint of the day, Anchieta renamed the Povoação do Cricaré to São Mateus.
Before Portuguese colonization, the São Mateus region was inhabited by Aimorés, also known as Botocudos. Funerary urns found in the Barra Nova region in the 1960s, along with ceramic pieces unearthed near the Roberto Silvares Hospital in 1998, are attributed to the Tupi ethnic group, to which the Aimorés do not belong, and are dated from the 10th century to the 16th century.
Manuscripts from the early colonization period report the presence of cannibalistic Indians in the region. Unlike other Tupi Indians, these did not know how to swim but were skilled at rowing and working with clay.
Efforts by Jesuit priests to catechize the indigenous population were unsuccessful. Afonso Brás, the first missionary in the Captaincy of Espírito Santo, wrote in a 1551 letter that after receiving baptism, the Indians fled, returning to their beliefs and customs.
There is no precise date or record of the first settlers' names, but oral tradition suggests Portuguese colonizers arrived in São Mateus around 1544. Alarmed by frequent indigenous attacks, settlers from Vasco Fernandes Coutinho's group reportedly split up, abandoning the Captaincy of Espírito Santo. Some fled to neighboring captaincies or moved inland, possibly heading north toward the São Mateus River.
The lack of records from the early colonization years leads to speculative hypotheses. One suggests São Mateus may have been settled by shipwreck survivors. Father Joseph of Anchieta's accounts note that in 1596, while passing through the São Mateus River, he celebrated mass for shipwrecked individuals, though no documentation confirms this as historical fact.
More likely, the first colonists came from the neighboring Captaincy of Porto Seguro, led by Pero do Campo Tourinho. The earliest documented Portuguese presence in the region relates to the Battle of Cricaré, which occurred in late January 1558. Another record is a letter describing a Jesuit mission by Father Fernão Cardin, who visited the Village of São Mateus in September 1583.
The entry of enslaved Africans into the municipality occurred through the Port, beginning in the colonial period and intensifying in the 19th century, particularly after the 1850 ban on the transatlantic slave trade until the abolition of slavery. At its peak, 16 companies at the port were exclusively engaged in this trade.
The arrival of slave ships at the Port was eagerly anticipated by the population, especially buyers, hoping to select the best ones. Onboard, enslaved Africans were prepared: men and women were oiled, wounds and tumors covered with rust and gunpowder, and in cases of intestinal infections, their anuses were stuffed with tow. Once disembarked, chained in single file, they were driven to the market, where their physical condition and tribal origins were examined. Preference was given to those with slender shins, heels set back, and small buttocks, deemed ideal for fieldwork.
Notably, São Mateus recorded the seizure of the last clandestine slave ship on the Brazilian coast in 1856, following the 1850 law banning the African slave trade. Some ships carried over 300 captives, who arrived naked, malnourished, and chained, enduring voyages lasting over 90 days. Many succumbed to the harsh conditions and were thrown overboard.
Between 1863 and 1887, 606 enslaved Africans were traded in the city, including 326 men and 269 women. Prices varied based on factors like sex, age, occupation, and physical condition, and were influenced by events such as the 1850 transatlantic trade ban. According to municipal registry records, slave prices rose significantly from 1868, reaching 1,028,500 réis for men and 1,018,750 réis for women, a sharp increase from the previous year's averages of 375,000 réis for men and 637,916 réis for women.
The state of Espírito Santo was the first to receive a significant wave of Italian immigrants around 1874, driven by major political changes in Europe during the early 19th century. These changes caused internal conflicts in the Kingdom of Italy, severely impacting its northern regions' populations.
Simultaneously, the 1888 abolition of slavery led to a shortage of skilled labor for coffee plantations.
In São Mateus, the first group of Italians arrived at the Port in 1887, at the request of the Baron of Aimorés, who, anticipating the abolition of slavery, requested immigrants from the Kingdom of Italy's consulate in Brazil to work on his farm along the Cravo Waterfall on the São Mateus River.
Successive arrivals of Italian immigrants continued at the old port until the end of the 19th century. Upon arrival, they were treated similarly to enslaved Africans, displayed in public squares for landowners to select. They were forced to show their hands for inspection; those with rough, calloused hands were chosen for farm work, while those with soft hands were labeled lazy and left to fend for themselves at the port.
With the discovery of gold in Minas Gerais in the second half of the 17th century, the Portuguese government, fearing loss of control, took measures to prevent adventurers from accessing the mines.
In 1764, Thomé Couceiro de Abreu, the ombudsman of the Captaincy of Porto Seguro, following orders from the Portuguese Crown, extended beyond his captaincy's territorial limits to elevate the settlement to village status. This was deemed necessary to prevent intrusions via the São Mateus River into the newly discovered gold mines. The chosen name, Villa Nova do Rio de São Mateus, was the same given by Anchieta. This occurred on September 27, 1764.
At the time of its elevation to village status, the settlement of São Mateus, located on a high plateau, had two streets flanking the Main Church. Four alleys extended from these streets to Córrego da Bica, then called Córrego do Mato. The two main streets had a few masonry houses where wealthier landowners lived, while less affluent residents, slaves, servants, and dependents lived in mud houses along the alleys.
During this period, the Captaincy of Espírito Santo was directly administered by the Portuguese Crown, as its donataries struggled with the challenging task. Consequently, the village was subordinated to the Captaincy of Porto Seguro until January 1823. Measures included street measurements, the construction of a town hall and jail, and the installation of a whipping post.
On April 3, 1848, by decree of the president of the then Province of Espírito Santo, Dr. Luiz Pedreira de Couto Ferraz, Villa Nova do Rio São Mateus was elevated to city status, retaining the name São Mateus given by the first colonizers.
The people of São Mateus learned of this news after April 13, 1848, when correspondence was sent to the municipal council. To celebrate, a grand festival was held on April 21, 22, and 23 of the same year. Upon becoming a municipality, São Mateus' territory spanned 13,588 km², equivalent to 29.8% of Espírito Santo's territory. The comarca was established on March 23, 1853.
The first district created in the municipality was Serra dos Aimorés in 1886, later renamed Nova Venécia. In 1891, the first territorial division created the municipality of Conceição da Barra. In 1935, the district of Barra de São Francisco was created, becoming a municipality through Decree-Law 15,177 on December 31, 1943. In 1949, the districts of Barra Nova, Boa Esperança, Nestor Gomes, and Nova Verona were established, with Nova Venécia gaining autonomy via State Law No. 767 on December 11, 1953. Boa Esperança became a municipality through State Law No. 1912 on December 28, 1963. In 1964, the districts of Barra Seca, Itauninhas, and Jaguaré were created, with the latter becoming a municipality on December 13, 1981, via Law No. 3445.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the municipality's area is 2,338.727 square kilometres (902.988 sq mi), making it the second largest municipality by area in Espírito Santo. Of this, 2,332.3007 square kilometres (900.5063 sq mi) is rural area and 155.49 square kilometres (60.04 sq mi) is urban area. Located in the northeast of Brazil's Southeast Region, in the North Coast Mesoregion of Espírito Santo (São Mateus Microregion), it is 64 kilometres (40 mi) from the border with Bahia, at a latitude of 18º43’15” South and a longitude of 39º51’46” West. Its neighboring municipalities are Conceição da Barra to the north, Pinheiros and Boa Esperança to the northwest, Nova Venécia to the west, São Gabriel da Palha and Vila Valério to the southwest, Jaguaré and Linhares to the south, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
The topography of São Mateus is predominantly flat, with the municipal seat at 37.7 metres (124 ft) above sea level. The central region consists of Tertiary plateaus with a gentle slope toward the coast, ranging from 30 to 100 meters in height. The western part features granitic formations up to 350 meters, while the coastal area is flat with flood-prone regions and dunes, not exceeding 4 meters in altitude.
Three distinct soil types are found in the municipality:
The municipality contains three hydrographic basins. The Doce River Basin covers a small area in the Suruaca Valley region. The Itaúnas River Basin encompasses a small portion of the Itauninhas district, while the São Mateus River Basin is the most extensive, draining over 90% of the municipality's area.
The São Mateus River Basin, also known locally as the Cricaré River, spans approximately 103,351 square kilometres (39,904 sq mi). It drains ten municipalities across Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean in Conceição da Barra. Its main tributaries include the Cotaxé River, also known as the North Branch of the São Mateus River, Preto, Mingal da Vovó River, Panela Velha River, and Pirapococa River. Notably, this river has a rare distributary, the Mariricu River.
The city also has 43 kilometres (27 mi) of coastline, featuring beaches such as Abricó, Aldeia do Coco, Barra Nova, Bosque, Brejo Velho, Caramujo, Gameleira, Guriri, Campo Grande, Oitizeiro, Ranchinho, and Urussuquara, with Guriri being the most famous.
Text from the Wikipedia article “São Mateus, Espírito Santo”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.