Pelourinho, Salvador da Bahia

4 more images

The Pelourinho is the 'old town' of Salvador. Located on a bluff above the port, it is the largest concentration of colonial–era buildings in the New World. Among them are several magnificent cathedrals.

('Pelourinho,' alas, means 'pillory' or 'whipping post.' In front of the building pictured here, slaves were brought for punishment — flogging in public adding humiliation to pain and serving as a warning to other slaves.)

There's music almost every night in the Pelourinho's large central square; the world–famous Grupo Olodum is among the bands that play. (Olodum puts a good part of its earnings into youth–help groups.)

Brazil's most famous novelist, Jorge Amado — who died in 2001 — worked in and near the Pelourinho. The Casa de Jorge Amado exhibits mementos of the writer's life and writings.
Art galleries, souvenir shops, fine restaurants … the Pelourinho is not to be missed.

If you're trying to decide which museum to visit in Largo do Pelourinho, go to this one instead of the Museu da Cidade. Once again the signage is exclusively in Portuguese (people must have thought I was a slow reader when they saw me struggling to decipher the information on the signs).

As the name implies, the museum is dedicated to Brazil's most well-known writer, Jorge Amado. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, I had never read one of his books, but since I love literature, I was very interested in learning about him. Keep in mind, I don't read Portuguese, but from what I could tell, Amado was fairly unknown for a time. Then he was accused of being a communist and fled to Prague where he remained in exile for awhile. Then, when the dust settled he began to focus his stories on the lives of women and the poor and set most of his stories in his home of Bahia. The streets of Pelourinho are the setting for his popular novel, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.

Check out the website below for more info and reading suggestions.

You cannot go to Salvador without visiting the old city, Pelourinho. Pelourinho is an amazing part of Salvador with lot of colourful colonial buildings, cobble stoned streets and beautiful churches.

Pelourinho means whipping post in Portuguese and it was here, the slaves were tortured and sold. You'll find the old slave auction located at Largo do Pelourinho (Praça José de Alencar).

The area was restored in the 1990s, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Absolutely worth a visit!

Pelourinho is the old part of Salvador.
It used to be a very dangorous part of Salvador, but today it's very safe.
UNESCO has put a lot of money in to restoring the old city center and today there are tourist police all over the place.
The place is getting quite touristy, but it's still worth a visit.

From a traveler to a traveler!!!

If you are stopping by Salvador, and you are looking for a place to stay, you must stay at "Terra Nossa" Rua Leovigildo de Carvalho No. 3 Pelourinho.

I've been there each time I was in Salvador, its right in the centre of Pelourinho, nice, clean and frendly pousada.

Plus you will meet Tex (owner of the place) which can give you really helpful tips, where to go what to see, as he has being traveling all around Brasil before settle down in Salvador.

You will feel like at home!!!! Best place to stay if you are in Salvador!!!

Irene Messina from Italy

1 more image

Anybody visiting Salvador winds up spending at least some time in Pelourinho. Pelourinho is the Old City, the old heart of Salvador, with colonial-era buildings and winding cobblestone streets. The area was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 and has been largely restored during the 1990s. It is full of bars and restaurants and small shops, but is also quite self-consciously touristy. You’ll see groups of tourists being led en masse by guides from historical site to historical site, hounded by vendors with cheap trinkets. The area was more "authentic" before, but the trade-off was that one was also far more likely to be robbed.

"Pelourinho" means pillory, and the district gets its name from the fact that Salvador's last pillory stood at the top of the sloping Largo do Pelourinho. Nowadays a square of broken marble at the top of the Largo do Pelourinho (in front of what is now the Casa de Jorge Amado) marks the spot where the pillory stood, that stone column to which slaves were bound, beaten, humiliated and tortured, the pelourinho which was eventually to give Salvador's first neighbourhood its name. This was also the site of the slave auctions

I found this area incredibly photogenic, but it’s also where we had the most hassle from street traders which irritated me, especially when I was trying to compose my photos. I like shopping when on holiday but on my terms, and when I’m pestered to buy I usually do the opposite of what they want and walk away! However I did enjoy browsing in several of the numerous shops and galleries in “Pelô” as the locals call it.

4 more images

There is no visit of Salvador without spending some time in the old city of colourful pastel-hued colonial buildings, cobblestoned streets and a sense of history, clustered around the Largo do Pelourinho, also known as Praca Jose de Alencar.

Pelurinho is a living museum with numerous buildings from 16th and 17th centuries fully restored to their original beauty and charm (there are always buildings undergoing restoration as the job is practically endless). It's the largest example of Baroque architecture in the America's, declared in 1985 a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site.

"Pelourinho" means whipping post and this is where African slaves were publicly punished during colonial times. Slavery was outlawed in 1835, and over time, this part of the city, though home to artists and musicians, fell into disrepair. A major restoration effort resulted in making the area a highly desirable tourist attraction.

During the day you can walk the streets, looking into the many clothing and art shops, bars, restaurants, museums and churches. At night Pelourinho offers music and dance events in its many public squares. The Laranjeiras area is loaded with charming restaurants offering delicious Bahian food and a number of programmed events take place during the week.

No other place reflects so well the soul of Bahia as Pelourinho!

1 more image

Pelourinho was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. That was the day when major renovation started. Since 1993 this is also be financed by UNESCO. The cobblestone streets, the churches and old colonial houses are certainly one of the main attractions of Salvador.

1 more image

Pelourinho is the old town of Salvador. It is named after the pillory where salves were punished. Until the 1990's Pelo as it is called by the locals fell into disrepair. In recent years however a lot of effort and money has been spend uplifting the area to its former glory.

While you are in Salvador you must go to Pelourinho, it's historical center.
A very cute colonial place!

Mientras estes en Salvador tenes que ir a Pelourinho, su centro historico.
Es un lugar colonial muy lindo.