GuanabaraBay:thefirstcontacts

Gaspar de Lemos was the first to see Guanabara Bay. The impact of its grandeur and the sunlight glinting on the waters dazzled the Portuguese navigator in 1502. The astonishment of the discovery may have clouded his vision, leading him to imagine that the bay was a river and to name it Rio de Janeiro, after the month of the discovery.

Image description: This is an engraving showing a coastal landscape. On the left side, we see a series of smaller islands, with rock formations and vegetation. In the center, there is a larger island, also with rock formations and vegetation. On the right, there is a large rock formation, which appears to be Pão de Açúcar, one of Rio de Janeiro's main landmarks. The horizon is full of clouds, and the sky is light blue. The sea water is clear and blue, reflecting the sky.

After him, other navigators passed through these waters. In 1519, Fernão de Magalhães confirmed that what he was seeing was a bay and not a river, and proposed that it be called Baía de Santa Luzia. In 1531, it was Martim Afonso de Sousa's turn, who passed through here on his way to the island of São Vicente – in the present-day state of São Paulo.

Tomé de Sousa, the first governor-general of Brazil, traveling south, was also amazed by the bay and, in a letter to the king of Portugal, said that an “honorable and good settlement” should be created here, adding: “everything about it is grace” (1553).

Image description: This is a painting depicting a coastal landscape. On the left side, we see a horizon with several boats scattered across the sea. In the center, there is a large rock formation covered with green vegetation. On the right, there is an isolated rock, also covered with vegetation. In the background, we find more mountains and a line of trees. The sky is clear with a few clouds.

All these passages left their marks on the bay. And it was there, at the entrance to the bay, more precisely between the Cara de Cão and Pão de Açúcar hills, that the City of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro was founded by Estácio de Sá, in 1565. Before him, however, the French occupied these lands. Nicolau Durand de Villegagnon arrived on November 10, 1555. The encounter between the French and the Portuguese created the ideal conditions for the emergence of a city with Renaissance characteristics right in the heart of America.

Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving depicting a maritime scene at night. On the left side, we see cargo ships with tall masts, while in the center, smaller boats sail on the water. On the right, a man is in a boat, holding an object above his head. In the background, there are rocks and a bright moon in the sky.