Explorations+to+America+(Brazil)

toc =The discovery of Brazil=

In **1500**, **Pedro Alvares Cabral** lead an expedition to India, but he arrived to **Brazil** (South America). It is not known if this was an accident caused by a deviation due to continuous storms or Cabral's intention was, in fact, to visit the lands of the new continent that had been assigned to Portugal by the Treaty of Tordesillas. However, it is thought that **Vicente Yañez Pinzon** had already visited the coast of Brazil in **1499**. Pedro Alvares Cabral appears in the Portuguese bills of **1,000 shields**.



The new lands were originally called **Vera Cruz** by Cabral, but the name was later changed into Brazil because of its most abundant tree 'pau-brasil'.



=﻿Colonization=

In the beginning, the new territory did not attract attention at all. It was populated by nomadic or semi-nomadic indigenous tribes: the **tupi**, the **tapu**, the **carib** and the **maipure**.

It was in a later expedition carried out by **Martim Afonso de Sousa** when the Portuguese started to be interested in Brazil. Also in this expedition the city of **San Vicent**e was founded (in the current state of São Paulo), in **1532**. Then, the Portuguese introduced **sugar cane** in the country. This crop has been the base of the Brazilian economy for more than a century.

In the same year (1532) **Juan III** decided to organise the Portuguese colony, so he divided it into **twelve manors** or fiefs and gave them to several **noblemen**. However, this feudal system only lasted until **1548**, when the power was centralized and the **General Government of Brazil** was created. Its first representative was **Tome de Sousa**. He encouraged colonization by founding new cities.