São Sebastião

São Francisco Archaeological Site, in São Sebastião: ruins of a 19th-century slave farm in the Atlantic Forest, with guided visits, a trail and LiDAR findings.

At an elevation of 260 metres, enveloped by the dense silence of the Atlantic Forest and with a privileged view over the São Sebastião Channel and the distant silhouette of Ilhabela, the São Francisco Archaeological Site preserves one of the most disturbing and fascinating testimonies of the history of the São Paulo coast. There, among roots, mosses and stones covered by time, emerge the ruins of an imposing 19th-century slave farm — a clandestine outpost where hundreds of enslaved Africans landed in the shadows, far from the eyes of the Empire.

Discovered in 1991 and expanded in 2007 with an adjoining area of more than 1.2 million square metres — potentially one of the largest archaeological sites in Brazil — the complex reveals three tiers that narrate the brutal hierarchy of an era: the ceremonial courtyard, where newcomers were received with orders and silence; the imposing chapel, built more to assert power than to practise faith, with a preserved baptismal font, aqueduct and oratory; and the Casa Grande, surprisingly discreet, which supports the theory of a strategic commercial post from which sighting ships at sea was a matter of business survival.

Recent surveys using LiDAR and LaserScan technology, in partnership between the São Sebastião City Hall, FUNDASS and specialised companies, have revealed new structures not yet catalogued — slave quarters, original roads, bridges, kilns and aqueducts that rewrite the magnitude of this finding. The access trail is 1 to 2 km inside the Serra do Mar State Park (1 h to 1 h 30).

Practical Information

Monitoring: Mandatory (accredited guide)

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Route: 1 to 2 km (trail) | 3 km round trip (full access)

Duration: 1 h to 2 h 30

Booking: Directly with an accredited monitor

Hours: 8:00–17:00 (Mon–Fri)

Entrance fee: Consult with the monitor > PESM listing

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