at a glance

in fact, the region where the city was founded was given by portugal as a prize to araribóia, the leader of the indigenous tribes who helped the portuguese win the war against the french. this led to the creation of the village of 'são laurenço dos índios' ('saint laurence of the indians' in portuguese) and the adjacent church, which is still an important cultural landmark in the region.

the name niterói was given to the area by the local tipunambá indigenous and it is usually translated as 'hidden water', although the meaning is still subject to debate. niterói is the only contemporary brazilian city founded by an indigenous brazilian.