Portuguese Found Sao Paulo Jesuit School

1558

The Jesuits Manuel da Nobrega and Jose de Anchieta established a mission school at Sao Paulo on the Piratininga plateau of inland Brazil. Surrounding Tupi villages sent children to learn Portuguese and catechism. The school was the nucleus of what would grow into South America's largest metropolis. The plateau location later proved strategic as bandeirantes used Sao Paulo as a base for slave-raiding deep into the interior.