In December 1530, the expedition of Martim Afonso de Sousa to Brazilian lands began, which, by order of the Portuguese king, João III, had several objectives. Among the main ones were the surveillance of the coastline, especially the fight against French traffickers, the construction of fortresses in the ports, and the exploration of the Amazon River, aiming at the discovery of precious metals. The most important: Portugal's taking possession of the lands of the Río de la Plata, located between present-day Uruguay and Argentina. Martim Afonso and his troops arrived on the Brazilian coast at Cabo de Santo Agostinho (PE) and spent the following months heading south, aiming to reach the river. Passing through places such as the Itamaracá trading post (PE), the mouth of the São Francisco River (AL), the Bay of All Saints (BA), Cabo Frio (RJ), until his arrival on April 30, 1531, in Rio de Janeiro
Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. At the center is a portrait of a man wearing historical clothing, with an embroidered robe and a cloak with ornamental details. On his chest, he wears an order's cross. Above his head, a hat adorned with a brooch is visible. Below the portrait, there is an inscription that reads "Martim Affonso de Souza."Desenho contido no "Diário da Navegação Armada Que Foi à Terra do Brasil em 1530 sob a Capitania-Mor de Martim Affonso de Souza", de Pero Lopes de Sousa. Domínio público.
The reception from the Tupinambás was friendly and peaceful. According to Pero Lopes (Martim Afonso's brother and expedition companion), the indigenous people said to them in Tupi, "welcome, white men." Taking advantage of the atmosphere of cordiality found there, Martim Afonso decided to build a strongpoint, the Casa de Pedra, on what is now Flamengo beach. The chosen location was close to the Karióka taba, at the mouth of the river of the same name, due to the good relationship between the village and the Portuguese. From the moment of its creation in 1531 until the early years of the founding of Rio de Janeiro in 1567, the Casa de Pedra played an important role as a reference point of the city for the Portuguese.
The stay there lasted about three months, and the good relationship between the native population and the Portuguese is largely explained by the presence of Pedro Annes, a sailor who had knowledge of Tupi. The indigenous people offered an abundance of food to the troop and helped some men venture into that land, acting as guides and providing them with protection, since they faced great dangers from the animals and enemy warriors present there. In addition, Martim Afonso ordered the construction of two boats to be used in the search for precious metals, aiming to support the expedition's main objective, which was resumed in April of that year, when the Portuguese headed south.
