Wedged between the states of Bahia (to the south and west) and Alagoas (to the north) in the Brazilian Northeast, Sergipe is Brazil’s smallest state, with a total area of 22,050 square kilometers. Its northern border is defined by the São Francisco River, one of the country’s most important, and its eastern border by the Atlantic Ocean. According to the most recent national census (2000), the population of Sergipe is 1,784,475 and that of state capital Aracaju 461,534. Most of the population, organized in 75 municipalities, lives along the coast. “Sergipe” means “Crab River” in Tupi, a native Brazilian language.
The state’s climate is tropical, with average annual temperatures of 20-28 degrees centigrade depending on the region. In keeping with the rest of the semi-arid Northeast, average rainfall is low – reaching just 1,590 millimeters in Aracaju. Inland from the picture postcard beaches and extensive coastal swamplands, most of Sergipe consists of scrubland known as “sertão.”
Aracaju was founded in 1855 and, as a planned city, is laid out in a grid pattern. The site was chosen because of its strategic location close to the sea and about 10 kilometers from the bank of the Sergipe River, and the new capital was designed as a port to export the surrounding region’s abundant production of sugarcane. Other important cities include: São Cristóvão (population 70,000), the capital before Aracaju and Brazil’s fourth oldest city, founded in 1590; and Laranjeiras (population 25,000), significant for its preservation of Afro-Brazilian culture.
Sergipe’s human prehistory dates back an estimated 9,000 years. In the 1980s, during the construction of the Xingó hydroelectric dam on the São Francisco River, numerous archaeological sites of prehistoric human settlements were discovered. Research into these discoveries has been slow, but some of the uncovered artifacts can be seen at the Xingó Archaeological Museum in the city of Canindé do Rio São Francisco.
When the Portuguese arrived in the 14th century, they encountered about 30 tribal settlements of the Tupinambá Indians along the coast of what is now Sergipe. The Jesuits tried to convert the natives to Christianity. Early peaceful relations devolved into violence and the European colonizers organized a series of systematic attacks that decimated the native population. The natives repressed, the Portuguese turned to combating French contraband of Brazilwood and to hunting slaves escaped from Bahia to the south. As part of a wider incursion into northeastern Brazil, the Dutch occupied the capital São Cristóvão from 1637-1645. After they ousted the Dutch, the Portuguese planted sugarcane as the main cash crop.
Like most of the Northeastern “sertão,” the interior of Sergipe was plagued by bandits called “cangaceiros” during the early 20th century. Like Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd during the same period in the United States, many of these outlaws earned popular and populist reputations – deserved or not – as Robin Hood figures. The most famous Brazilian bandit was Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, nicknamed Lampião (large lamp). He, his girlfriend Maria Bonita and several members of his gang were cornered by federal agents and killed on a farm in the town of Angicos, Sergipe, on July 28, 1938. The bandits were beheaded and their heads exhibited in a museum in Salvador, Bahia, until 1968.
After the deforestation of the Brazilwood tree, Sergipe became a major sugarcane producer during the colonial period. That crop continues to be important, but oil discoveries along the coast have made the little state into one of Brazil’s leading producers of crude. Leading agricultural exports include passion fruit, oranges and coconuts. Especially thanks to its pristine beaches, Sergipe is attracting growing numbers of tourists.
The Franco family has dominated the politics of the state in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Patriarch Augusto served as both governor and senator, as did his son Albano, who is still active in politics. The Franco family controls much of the local television and radio media, and owns extensive tracks of land, sugarcane distilleries and other manufacturing companies.
Sergipe is known for its lively Festas Juninas, the month-long celebration in June of the feast days of Saint Joseph, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Peter.
Sergipe Travel
We’re still waiting for the opportunity to spend quality time in Sergipe and develop a true-blue guide to the state, but based on one very brief visit and a few trusted second-hand reports, here are some suggestions for your visit.
Aracaju - Founded in 1855, this planned city is easy to navigate. For sun-lovers, it features 30 kilometers of sandy beaches – all with kiosks that sell beer, soft drinks and snacks. For good eats at the beach, check out Tia Gleide on the Praia dos Artistas. The consensus choice for the best restaurant in town is O Miguel, featuring traditional northeastern fare, notably “carne-de-sol” (jerked beef); address: Av. Antônio Alves, 340, Atalaia Velha, tel: 243-1444 (we can’t find a website).
São Cristóvão - Brazil’s fourth oldest city is located just 20 kilometers from Aracaju. It can be reached easily by but, but accommodations are few and far between. The colonial downtown is the main attraction. There are some good places to eat on the main square, known as the Praça da Matriz.
Laranjeiras - Just 25 kilometers outside of Aracaju, this was once the main sugarcane producing area. Thus there were lots of slaves, and the city has done a good job of preserving their memory. Make sure to visit the Afro-Brazilian Museum, Rua José do Prado Franco, 19.
São Francisco River Canyons - You’ll find these about 200 kilometers inland from Aracaju in the town of Canidé do São Francisco. Sometimes 100 meters high in some places 60 kilometers long, these waterways were formed by the damming of the Xingó hydroelectric plant. Visit the Xingo Archeological Museum.
Revolução de 1930 em Sergipe - Dos Tenentes aos Coronéis
José Ibarê Dantas
Sergipe del Rey: População, Economia e Sociedade
Luiz R. B. Mott
Sergipe Republicano (Estudo Crítico)
Manuel Curvelo de Mendonça
Well-known intellectuals from Sergipe: Tobias Barreto, Jackson de Figueiredo, Gumercindo Bessa, Fausto Cardoso, Samuel de Oliveira, Felisbelo Freire, Silvio Romero and Manoel Bonfim.
by Nicholas Gabriel Arons, University of Arizona Press (October 2004) 
by Josue de Castro, Random House (1966) 
by Billy Jaynes Chandler, Texas A&M University Press (February 1984) 
by Graciliano Ramos (fiction), University of Texas Press (June 1965) 
by Nancy Scheper-Hughes, University of California Press (November 1993) 
