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First Settlements (1530-1549) |
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Cabral's voyage was soon followed by other Portuguese expeditions. The most exploitable wealth they found was a wood that produced red and purples dyes, pau-brasil (from which the country derived its name). Organized occupation only began in 1530, when Portugal sent out the first colonists with domestic animals, plants, and seeds to establish permanent settlements. The existing small enclaves in the northeast were consolidated. São Vicente on the coast of the modern State of São Paulo was founded in 1532, and the city of Salvador, later chosen as the seat of the Governors General, followed in 1549. The land was sparsely inhabited by Indian tribes, some peaceful and others, especially in the interior, fierce and warlike. As more of the land was settled, a system of administration became necessary.
As a first step, the Portuguese Crown created a number of hereditary fiefs, or captaincies. Fourteen of these captaincies - some larger than Portugal itself - were established in the mid 16th century, and the beneficiaries, called donatários, were responsible for their defence and development. The captaincy system lasted long enough to influence the basic territorial and political pattern of modern Brazil.
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