the word 'macumba'  describes the  cults derived from afro-brazilian religious practices  brought to brazil such as bantu, candomblé, and umbanda, syncretized with influences of the Catholic religion, the occult, cults of indigenous Amerindians, and spiritism.

it is common to see offerings on this beach throughout the year, and always on december 31st.

the beach is edged one one side by pedra de itapuã, a natural monument land-marked by the city to commemorate a failed attempt by the french pirate jean françois duclerc to disembark here and conquer the city in 1710.