Susana Dias

Susana Dias (c. 1553 – 2 September 1634) was a Portuguese bandeirante who, along with her son captain André Fernandes [pt], founded the city of Parnahyba in the Captaincy of São Vicente, which would become the modern-day city of Santana de Parnaíba, São Paulo, Brazil.

She erected a well dedicated to Saint Anne to whom she was devoted to on the land, to which the current city of Santana de Parnaíba derives its name.

It is estimated that one of her sons, André, was two at the time of the establishment of the city, but the municipality was installed in 1625 under his influence to become a separate municipality from the larger São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga, the predecessor to the current city of São Paulo.

[1] She was married twice; First to Manoel Fernandes, and second to Belchior da Costa, the latter ending in 1625.

Many of these children became bandeirantes themselves, going further into Brazil in search minerals and Indigenous slaves.