Guriri Coast

The Guriri coast forms the seaward side of São Mateus in northern Espírito Santo. Its early history centres on the river settlement and port rather than on the coast itself. Portuguese settlers reached the São Mateus region around 1544.

The settlement gained district status in 1751 and became a vila in 1764, under the jurisdiction of Porto Seguro in Bahia. Establishing the vila meant measuring the streets and the square near the main church, beginning a town hall and jail, and setting up a pillory. The local economy produced cassava flour, sugar cane and cereals and exported timber, giving the adjacent coast a hinterland of cultivation, processing and shipment.