[2][11] This area is the "historic center" of Belém, which houses the architectural complex Feliz Lusitânia that grew along the banks of the Guamá River since the city's foundation.

[12] With the wealth derived from the Rubber Cycle (1800/1900), European luxury was brought to Belém, present until today in the façades and structures of this area.

The region where Belém is located was initially the indigenous region of Mairi, home to the Tupinambá and Pacajá (under the command of cacique Guaimiaba),[1][2][3] a trading post for the Marajoara cacique, where in 1580, the Portuguese arrived with the military expedition Feliz Lusitânia, commanded by Captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco and established a colonial nucleus (at the behest of the King of the Iberian Union and of the Philippine Dynasty, Manuel I).

[1][9] They aimed to occupy the Conquista do Pará, also called the Empire of the Amazonas (1615-1621, located in the then Captaincy of Maranhão), and ensure dominance in eastern Amazon and of spices of the region, which foreigners disputed.

[2][3][11] Thus, they created on January 12, 1616, at the mouth of the Piry creek, the Portuguese colonial settlement (villa) Feliz Lusitânia[1][6] along with a fort called Forte do Presépio,[2][7][8][9] that contained the chapel of the patron saint Our Lady Santa Maria de Belém (now the Metropolitan Cathedral).