In “The Fortuitous Meeting”, Gerard sees a painting in Pero’s office in which he recognizes Belem Tower.

This impressive building, constructed between 1515 and 1521 to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s famous voyage from Europe to India, is perhaps the most famous remaining symbol of Portugal’s great Age of Discovery, when the tiny nation dominated half the the world’s oceans.

 (Image: Governo de Portugal)

Belem Tower, used primarily to defend the entrance to the Port of Lisbon, was one of the last landmarks explorers saw as they set off on their remarkable maritime voyages.  Gerard’s case is no exception; he admired the famous tower as he set out from Portugal on his fateful journey to Brazil.

 (Image: Governo de Portugal)

The tower design contains a mixture of naval elements, Christian symbols, and Gothic and Islamic architecture.  This style is known as Manueline, after King Manuel I of Portugal.

(Image: Governo de Portugal)

Today, Santa Maria de Belem (trans. Saint Mary of Bethlehem), the location of the tower, is a district of Lisbon, and Belem Tower is a UNESCO Heritage site.

It comes as no surprise that the adventures of the Elephant and Macaw Banner begin in the city of Salvador.  At the time of Gerard and Oludara’s travels, Salvador is the capital and most important city in Brazil.

The population of the city and surrounding bay included around 1500 inhabitants of Portuguese or mixed Portuguese-Tupinambá origin, and several thousand more Tupinambá in the neighboring regions, many of them Christian converts. The African slave population was small but increasing rapidly, and would grow to the thousands well before the end of the sixteenth century.

Early 17th century map of Salvador

Although there were earlier attempts to settle Salvador, its permanent occupation began in 1549, when King Dom João III of Portugal sent Tomé de Sousa and over five hundred men (and under ten women) to establish a city on the shores of Baía de Todos os Santos (All Saints Bay).  Tomé was successful in his attempt, establishing what would remain the capital of Brazil for over two-hundred years.

Salvador in 1612

Salvador in 2007

Visiting Salvador today is like travelling through time.  The old center of the city (the Pelourinho), the place where Gerard and Oludara first met, is filled not only with historical buildings and monuments, but also with the unique music, food, dance, and style that emerged from hundreds of years of blending African and Portuguese cultures.

A visit to Salvador is an experience that is not easily forgotten.

(Illustrations: salvadorantiga.blogspot.com Photographs: Christopher Kastensmidt)