São Luís is pretty, pretty, pretty...
Maranhão is one of the least known and most surprising states of Brazil. It has jewels such as its capital São Luís, declared a World Heritage Site in 1997. It's the only Brazilian state capital which was not founded by the Portuguese. It was founded by the French in 1612. When the French were expelled by the Portuguese, the Portuguese created the tiled colonial architecture that characterizes the city. One of the reasons is the high humidity of the area, only 2° south of the equator. In Sao Luis everything has the old taste, odor and color, such as wrought iron balconies and cobblestone streets.