As the first cap­i­tal of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Sal­vador de Bahia wit­nessed the blend­ing of Euro­pean, African and Amerindi­an cul­tures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave mar­ket in the New World, with slaves arriv­ing to work on the sug­ar plan­ta­tions. The city has man­aged to pre­serve many out­stand­ing Renais­sance build­ings. A spe­cial fea­ture of the old town are the bright­ly coloured hous­es, often dec­o­rat­ed with fine stuc­­co-work.