Caramuru

Diogo Álvares Correia (1475? - 1557), called Caramuru by the Tupinambá, was a Portuguese settler born in Viana do Castelo. He departed for the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1509, and his ship wrecked in the coast of Bahia, Diogo Álvares found himself among the Tupinambá Indians. The Tupinamba called him "Caramuru" ("Creator of Fire") because of the fire of his weapon.

Later, Diogo Álvares founded a settlement called Vila Velha and married Paraguaçu (or Paraguassu), the daughter of Tupinamba's chief (Morubixaba) Taparica. During the following twenty years, Diogo Álvares kept contact with European ships and used his influence on local Indians to help the Portuguese Crown and missionaries during the early years of Brazilian colonization.

In 1526, he traveled to France with his wife. Paraguaçu was baptized by Mary Catherine des Granches, wife of Jacques Cartier, under the name Catarina.

A couple of years later, he returned to Bahia and aided Tomé de Sousa in founding Salvador and creating the first General-Government of the Brazilian colony, by the request of King João III of Portugal .

He died in October 1557, was buried in the Church of Jesus, and left half of his wealth to the Jesuits. His wife, Catarina Paraguaçu died in 1582.

His sons, Gaspar, Gabriel and Jorge were declared knights by Governor Tomé de Sousa.

In culture

• The historical episode was the central theme of an epic poem by Santa Rita Durão, titled Caramuru. He was portrayed by Selton Mello in the poem's 2001 film adaptation Caramuru: A Invenção do Brasil.
• Caramuru appears briefly in Mário de Andrade's Macunaíma.

See also

• Hans Staden
• Pākehā Māori
• Gonzalo Guerrero
• John Young
• Jim Bridger

Further reading

• Crow, John A.; The Epic of Latin America (Fourth Edition); University of California Press, 1992; Pages 139-140.