The village of Sao Vicente was the first "capital" of the Sao Vicente Captaincy. Despite being "once so famous" according to Frei Gaspar da Madre de Deus, Sao Vicente ends up in the eighteenth century, "so unknown not even its original name is kept toward the memory of its former existence". The first attempt at change occurred in 1681 through the efforts of the Marquis de Cascais, Lord of the Captaincy, who did not have the support of the Council of Sao Vicente. After the captaincy was restored in 1765, Morgado of Mateus, the new governor, permanently transferred the government, the Se Cathedral, the treasury, the garrison and provisions to Sao Paulo. The Sea Realm lost to the government of the "Backwoods". The aim of this paper is to understand how the city of Sao Paulo acquired its dominance over other villages, and had the Captaincy renamed, before casting the renowned Sao Vicente into oblivion.
Sao Paulo; Sao Vicente; Cities and villages; Capital; Head of captaincy