Historic Centre of São Luís World Heritage Site

Official name

Historic Centre of São Luís | UNESCO

Country

Brazil | Map

Continent

South America

Location

Maranhão State, Brasil’s North-East Region
-2.5300° Lat, -44.3033° Lon | Map

Code

821

Time Zone

America/Sao_Paulo (-03, -0300)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 1997. The late 17th-century core of this historic town, founded by the French and occupied by the Dutch before coming under Portuguese rule, has preserved the original rectangular street plan in its entirety. Thanks to a period of economic stagnation in the early 20th century, an exceptional number of fine historic buildings have survived, making this an outstanding example of an Iberian colonial town.