Largo do Pelourinho

Picture-perfect Largo do Pelourinho is a sloping, triangle-shaped square, once the site of the pelourinho (whipping post) – one of several nearby locations where slaves were exposed and punished. After slavery was outlawed in 1835, the neighborhood fell into disrepair; in the 1990s major restoration efforts were initiated to preserve the cobblestone square's colonial houses and churches. Today, the square is the heart of Salvador's historic center.