Salvador is considered the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. Every corner of the city pulses with African influence, part of a dynamic cultural tapestry that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Unfortunately, this tapestry derives in large part from the city’s tragic history. During the transatlantic slave trade, it is estimated that nearly half a million enslaved Africans were brought to the United States. In Brazil, the number was over 12 times that. More than 1.5 million Africans arrived through the port of Salvador alone, making it one of the largest slave-trading ports in the Americas. Today, nearly 80% of the city’s roughly 2.5 million residents are descended from enslaved people.

These men and women, predominantly from West Africa, brought with them languages, religious beliefs, food traditions and music that flourished in Brazil, even under brutal conditions. A few days was not nearly enough time to discover this intoxicating city, but an in-depth tour the Travel Office organized gave us an insider look at Salvador’s African influences, from music and dance to spirituality and food.