Rio de Janeiro Is Not Brazil's Oldest City—São Vicente Is

While Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's most iconic city, it is not the oldest. That distinction belongs to São Vicente, founded on January 22, 1532 by Portuguese explorer Martim Afonso de Sousa.

The Founding Timeline

• 1532 – São Vicente (São Paulo state): First permanent Portuguese settlement; site of the first municipal council (Câmara Municipal) in the Americas.
• 1534 – Salvador (Bahia): First capital of Brazil (until 1763).
• 1565 – Rio de Janeiro: Founded by Estácio de Sá to expel French colonists from Guanabara Bay. Became capital in 1763.

São Vicente, located on the coast near Santos, preserves its historic core, including the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (1532) and the Pátio do Colégio (site of the first Jesuit school). It is the "Cradle of Brazilian Nationality."

Rio, founded 33 years later, grew to become the imperial and republican capital, overshadowing its older sibling in fame—but not in antiquity.