[4] In the middle of the 18th century, São Paulo saw an expansion of its population beneath the original boundaries of the city center.

The many farmsteads that surrounded the city center found new purpose soon enough, becoming residential lots primarily for working-class immigrants.

[5] Purchasing the land from Thomaz Cruz in 1878, Leite Braga divided the farmstead into lots, which were then sold, thus beginning the urbanization process of Bixiga.

[7] Largo dos Piques is identified as Bexiga's foundation site by the Department of Historical Heritage of the city of São Paulo.

With an extensive supply of land at low costs, immigrants settled in the neighborhood into terraced houses and sobrados, which were usually mixed-use.

The presence of both a black and immigrant populations made Bexiga a culturally diverse area, becoming known for such events as the Samba School Vai-Vai and the Our Lady of Achiropita Festival.