During our time sailing around the mangroves, we stopped at the Sant'ana village on the Engenho river to see a small church which was the second church in Brazil, built by the Portuguese in 1537. It was small but very beautiful. Behind the altar is a lovely image of St. Ann from Portugal which also dates back to the 16th century.
The Rio do Engenho area was initially occupied by Tupiniquin and Aimoré native peoples inhabiting the southern coast of Bahia. Tupiniquins subsisted on basic agriculture and fruit gathering while the Aimorés, were hunting and fishing nomads. Upon the arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil, Tupiniquins were already negotiating Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata) with the French. To discourage this, and to gain more control of the newly discovered lands, the Portuguese crown decided to colonize Brazil, implanting a system dividing the country into regions donated to court noblemen, who had the obligation of financing the colonization process. Thus in 1534 the region known as São Jorge dos Ilhéus was donated to Jorge de Figueiredo Correa. In 1535, Francisco Romero, his representative, sent from Portugal set foot on Tindaré Island and weeks later founded São Jorge dos Ilhéus. Soon after, in 1537 Mem de Sá founded the Engenho de Sant’Ana, a sugar cane mill on the margins of the Santana river later known as Rio do Engenho. Although Tupiniquin inidians participated in the sugar cane plantations, it seems the Aimorés were not too happy with these new times and ventures, having chased Portuguese and other coastal inhabitants to the point that sugar cane plantations became abandoned or decadent. Many Aimorés were later killed by order of the Portuguese king.
As you can see, the little church is beautifully and lovingly preserved by a most cheerful steward who happily explained details of the building and its history to us.
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