Converging point of utopias and cultures: the São Bartolomeu Park

Abstract

Converging point of distinct people such as the Tupinambás Indians and African slaves from Nigeria, Benin, Angola and Congo, the São Bartolomeu Park resists to the disordered growth of the city of Salvador. The special beauty of the place seems to have exerted a fascination over the Tupinambás Indians, who founded a town there, abandoning their nomad habits. This place was also a schelter for the fugitive slaves that found there protection and help, organizing in 1826 the so-called “Quilombo do Urubu”. The present paper discusses the historical and sacred importance of the São Bartolomeu Park for the participants of the candomblé sect and the religious syncretism deriving from the indian and African traditions. In many “terreiros de candomblé” (place where the ritual is practiced) located near the São Bartolomeu Park, the Indians divinities (caboclos) are side by side with the Africans (orixás). Interviews carried out with those who follow the candomblé sect show that Tupinambás and African slaves descendants are the major users of the São Bartolomeu Park.