The historic center of Salvador is a large cultural center, full of museums, churches and various other cultural assets essential to the history of Brazil. In order for these heritages to be preserved, there are some regulatory laws that were established by the State, the 3 main ones are governed by different levels of government. The first of them is Decree-Law 25/1937, implemented by the federal government through the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN). The second is in Municipal Law 3289/1983, which establishes the Specific Municipal Legislation for the protection of cultural assets, through which a protection area is established that covers the cultural site designated by the IPHAN and by the 2008 Urban Master Plan of Salvador, which formally certifies the designated heritage areas and those covered by the statute of Specific Municipal Legislation. Even with these measures, many buildings and places in the Historic Center of Salvador have been degraded over the years because it is a habitable World Heritage Site. As this happens, certain economic activities, such as commerce, increasingly occupy the cultural environment, which ends up harming some populations that live there and contribute to the maintenance of cultural memory. Despite there being activities harmful to the preservation of Heritage, tourism implemented in the Historic Center, contrary to what many think, contributes to the valorization and maintenance of the cultures present there, and ended up dominating a large part of the economic activity of the Center. Tourist establishments, such as the Museu do Carnaval, have even been attributed to the place to contribute both to the preservation of memory and to the economic activity of the region. The negative side of this new scenario is the loss of what is not touristic, such as the Baixa dos Sapateiros, which because it is not a cultural reference ends up receiving less attention and care.[11].
The Historic Center has a very large variety of Cultural References, which can be defined as various elements that characterize a society, a town, city or country, as something exclusive to that group. Below are some of the most important references of the Center:
Capoeira is a fight that has as its foundations the incorporation of musical, religious and ritualistic elements. It was created by African slaves and their descendants brought to Brazil during the slavery period, more precisely in urban centers and port cities such as Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Recife. Initially as a form of self-defense and resistance to the way they were treated by their settlers. The musicality present was of African influence, as an example the Ngolo, but because it was a Brazilian creation, it had many elements from other cultures. Its main characteristics are complex and agile movements, using blows with the elbows, knees, head and mainly with the legs, as well as kicks and rasteiras.
The "Roda de Capoeira" was considered a cultural asset by IPHAN in 2008, and in 2014 it was also considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It consists of a circle formed by capoeiristas where capoeira is played, sung and played, used for training or games and shows.
In the Historic Center, there are countless spaces of references for the history of Capoeira, such as in the Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, where the gyms of four masters of Capoeira Angola are located: Mestre João Pequeno, Mestre Curió, Mestre Boca Rica and Mestre Moraes. Furthermore, it is in the Center where the "Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola" and the "Rampa do Mercado" are located, and the latter is located next to "Mercado Modelo", and was a meeting point for big names in Capoeira, such as Mestre Pastinha, Mestre Traíra, and others. But, not only Capoeira players, but also merchants and agricultural workers.
It is a trade initially done by slave and freed women, who mainly marketed "acarajé" (made from a type of beans, the "feijão-fradinho", and onion, fried in "dendê" oil, and served with shrimp, pepper, "vatapá" or "caruru") to support their families, in addition to fulfilling their religious obligations in the "candomblé" fields. Their main characteristics are their round skirts, a kind of turban on their heads and their necklaces, always with trays of "acarajé" and its accompaniments, as well as other typical dishes: "cocada" and "cocada-preta", "abará", "bolo de estudante", "lelê", "queijada" and "passarinha".
In the Historic Center is where many baiana boards are found, and also there is the "Memorial das Baianas de Acarajé", and the "Día das Baianas de Acarajé" is celebrated, on November 25.
Cordel's literature is a traditional literary manifestation of the northeastern region, with much prominence in the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba, Pará, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará and Bahia.
The thermos “cordel” came from Portuguese heritage, the cordel was introduced by them at the end of the century. After the advent of radio and television, strings lost their popularity.
The main characteristics are the regional literary tradition, the differences with traditional literature, it is composed in verses, it has popular themes from Brazilian culture and it also has popular, oral, regional and informal language.
In 2013, the cordelistas linked to the "Ordem Brasileira dos Poetas da Literatura de Cordel" were expelled from "Praça Cairú", their main performance venue, in an action by the municipal government to relocate street vendors, and the cordelistas were incorrectly inserted into that category. Despite having tried everything, the government denies them, with the following response: that the government cannot allow informal trade.
The Salvador Carnival, known for its electric trios, was idealized by “Dodô” and “Osmar” with a car adapted with the roof open, they had created the first electric trio. Years later with Caetano Veloso's song “Atrás do trio elétrico” he had popularized the electric thermo trio. One of its most famous circuits is the “Circuito Batatinha” that crosses the Largo do Pelourinho to the Terreiro de Jesus that crosses over the historic center.
The festival of Palm Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter, this celebration is dedicated to the commemoration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Tradition says that Jesus had entered through the golden gate of Jerusalem. In many Christian denominations, Palm Sunday is known for the distribution of palm leaves to the faithful gathered in church.
July 2, 1823 marked the liberation of Bahia from Portuguese rule, one year after Brazil's official Independence. For this reason, during the state holiday,[12] blocks, carriages, fanfare, protesters and spectators of the state Independence Festival walk from Lapinha to Campo Grande, passing through the Terreiro de Jesus, in Pelourinho, covering the entire length of the Historic Center.[13] Since 1840 or 1849 (the exact year is unknown), the Caboclo and the Cabocla are considered the symbols of the freedom of the Parade July 2. These figures represent, respectively, the indigenous and mestizos of Bahian origin who fought for the independence of the State until July 2, 1823, and the female figure in that same fight.[14].
Despite being a meeting place for various elements and cultural manifestations of different groups that formed and continue to form society along with Brazilian history, the holders of traditional knowledge who are in the Historic Center continue to have conflicts with the public organizations responsible for urban planning. One of the main factors that contribute to the perpetuation of this situation is the long history of conflicts with street workers, expropriation of properties and expulsion of neighbors, for the purposes of tourist and commercial exploration of the region, which has been occurring since the second half of the century.[15] With the initiative of countless social and political groups to discuss the right to housing for the inhabitants of the Historic Center, the understanding of the relationship between local tourism and habitation in the area has been evolving, making a model more guided by sustainability and social interests is being strengthened and, little by little, put into practice.[16].
Since the colonial period, the presence of black populations is something that is strongly rooted in the culture of the Historic Center, after all, the patriarchal family was not only constituted by hereditary ties and marriages, it included, for example, Afro-descendant domestic slaves, who brought along their beliefs and cultures. An example of this influence is what is believed to be the first Candomblé terreiro of the Ketu people in Bahia, and which is located in the current Espaço Cultural da Barroquinha in the Historic Center. In the 19th century, the terreiro was removed from the site and gave rise to three others in Salvador, which are among the nine terreiros listed by the IPHAN (seven of them are in Salvador):[17] Terreiro da Casa Branca, Terreiro do Gantois and Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá.[18] These sites contribute, mainly, to the maintenance of the memory of the site and to the continuation of the religious practices of the populations of the region, although they may be used for tourist and ethnic or religious purposes. Furthermore, throughout the century, groups, carnival blocks and institutions were created, both in Salvador and in the Historic Center, that seek to reinforce the Afro-Brazilian identity and the strength of the black movements in current Brazilian society. Among them are: Afoxé Filhos de Gandhy, a tribute to the Indian leader; the Olodum Cultural Group (link to Wikipedia page); Benin House; and Casa da Angola.[19].
As in almost the entire city of Salvador, the local cuisine is also a fusion of cultures. If we focus on the influences of African roots, which have brought very popular ingredients today, such as coconut milk and dendê oil, we find, among the most famous dishes of the region: acarajé, made with fradinho bean fritters fried in dendê oil and with various filling options; and abará, made with fradinho bean fritters and cooked wrapped in banana leaf, which gives it a milder flavor. If we combine African origins with seafood, we arrive at dishes such as shrimp bobó and Bahian moqueca, very typical of Salvador. Furthermore, in relation to the Lusitanian influence, we can say that sarapatel, a stew of pork entrails and blood, is a dish of Portuguese origin and is also typical of the region. As for sweets, we can find indigenous origins in Bahian cuisine, present in the dessert beiju, based on toasted cassava flour. Bahian cuisine itself is very rich in relation to desserts, with the famous mungunzá, a corn stew with coconut milk and sugar; sweet rice; and the Baianas trays with a wide variety of possibilities, from quindins to cocadas, both white and dark.[20].
As expected of the first capital of Brazil named by the Portuguese, Catholicism in the territory of Salvador is something that is rooted in the culture and that continues to be strongly represented in the Historic Center. During the colonial and imperial period, Catholic precepts were responsible for hegemonizing the Brazilian population, often restricting the practice of candomblé to slaves. Religion was present everywhere, be it in the mill chapels and in the adoption of sacred names or in the teaching controlled by the Jesuit fathers.[3] The capital of the state of Bahia can be considered, to this day, one of the centers of Catholicism in Brazil, mainly in the tourist spots of the city and in the cultural festivals held in Salvador; Not to mention the large number of churches and buildings scattered throughout the Historic Center. The Church and Convent of São Francisco[21] and the Basilica of Nossa Conceição da Praia, founded by Thomé de Souza,[22] are some examples of the establishments located in the Historic Center that symbolize Catholicism in Salvador.
The architectural landscape of the Historic Center of Salvador serves as an example to represent Portuguese religious, civil and military buildings from the 16th to the 19th centuries. As a consequence of its important role as the center of Portugal's economic actions during the colonial period, the buildings of the premises allow the interpretation and visualization of the model of Portuguese cities abroad. In this sense, the division between Cidade Alta "Upper City (Salvador)") and Cidade Baixa "Lower City (Salvador)") stands out, a landscape originating from the colonial architectural style. Throughout the century, as a result of the enrichment generated by the production and sale of sugar, the monumental phase of Bahian architecture began, based on the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque style, giving rise to constructions that are currently very important for the city, such as the Cathedral of Salvador (previously known as the Jesuit Church). Finally, it can be said that the value of the urban groups of Portuguese origin was one of the main factors that contributed to the Historic Center being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.[23].