Object description

The Tower House of Garcia d'Avila , also known as the Castelo de Garcia d'Ávila, Forte de Garcia d'Ávila, is a 17th-century building complex in Mata de São João, Bahia, Brazil. It was constructed in the present-day settlement of Praia do Forte, 1,200 metres from a small natural harbor on the Atlantic coast. Tomé de Sousa , the first governor-general of Brazil, appointed his son Garcia de Sousa d'Ávila to build a fortress on the Bahia coast. The castle sits on a hill with a good view of the Atlantic Ocean; the castle, as well as the village of Tatuapara, served as an advanced point of vigilance for Salvador and settlements around the Bay of All Saints. Alerts of the approach of enemy ships were sent from the castle to Salvador via encrypted messages of smoke and torches; they traveled from the castle through a chain of Jesuit villages and other small settlements until they reached Salvador.