Cidade Velha (Belém)

Cidade Velha, initially called Mairi, Cidade or Sé neighborhood, is a historic area of the capital of Pará, Belém, founded in the 1620s. It is the first and oldest neighborhood in the city, originated from the Portuguese colonial settlement Feliz Lusitânia and the construction of the wooden fortress Forte do Presépio, at the mouth of the Piry creek, by Portuguese Captain-Mor Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco, on January 12, 1616. He had the goal of occupying the Conquista do Pará (now Pará State) in the then Captaincy of Maranhão, ensuring the dominance of the region and the drogas do sertão (spices of the region).

This area is the "historic center" of Belém, which houses the architectural complex Feliz Lusitânia that grew along the banks of the Guamá River since the city's foundation. Nowadays it has countless buildings of colonial architecture, and many old buildings that are listed as heritage by IPHAN (Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional). With the wealth derived from the Rubber Cycle (1800/1900), European luxury was brought to Belém, present until today in the façades and structures of this area. They are a link between the origin of Belém's population and the present day.

Its streets have names of cities or personalities (Portuguese and Brazilian), such as Avenida Portugal, Rua de Aveiro, Cidade Irmã, Rua de Óbidos, Rua de Breves, Rua Doutor Assis, Rua Doutor Malcher, Rua Siqueira Mendes, Avenida Almirante Tamandaré, Rua Ângelo Custódio, Rua Félix Roque, Rua Padre Champagnat, Boulevard Castilhos França.