São Paulo

By Christopher Minster

São Paulo is the largest city in Latin America and one of the largest in the world.  Brazil’s industrial capital, it was founded in 1554 by the Jesuits and has since grown to a megalopolis of more than 18 million inhabitants.  The city has taken in waves of immigrants from many countries, notably Italy, Germany, Japan, Lebanon, Korea and Syria.  These immigrants made a home for themselves in the city, and now the visitor can enjoy some of the best international cuisine in the world. 

São Paulo is also the artistic heart of the nation: many of Brazil’s avant-garde movements in art and literature started here.  The visitor can see evidence of this in the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Another interesting museum is the Museu de Arte Sacra, or the sacred art museum.  It covers 500 years of religious art, from native statues to colonial era reliquaries, altars and carved saints.

São Paulo is not far from some underrated beaches.  The ones nearest the city, Guarujá and Santos, are often dirty and overcrowded, but if you travel farther to the northeast, there are pleasant, clean beaches you can visit.  These beaches are two to four hours away from the city, depending on traffic.