Salvador de Bahia - City of a Thousand Churches, Brazil (34/418)

As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving in 1558 to work on the sugar plantations. The city has managed to preserve many outstanding examples of Renaissance architecture. A special feature of the old town are the bright, polychromed houses which are often decorated with stucco of high quality.