Fortaleza's history began on February 2, 1500, when Spaniard Vicente Pinzon landed in Mucuripe's cove and named the new land Santa Maria de la Consolacion. Because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the discovery was never officially sanctioned. Colonisation began in 1603, when the Portuguese Pero Coelho de Souza constructed the Fort of Sao Tiago and founded the settlement of Nova Lisboa (New Lisbon). Later, the Dutch occupied the Brazilian Northeast and founded the Fort Schoonenborch. When they were expelled from Ceara, the Portuguese renamed it to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Assunçao. In 1726, the town of the fort was raised to the condition of village. In 1799, the Province of Ceara was separated from the Province of Pernambuco and Fortaleza was chosen as its capital.
During the 19th century, Fortaleza was consolidated as an urban centre in Ceara, supported by the sprouting of cotton growing. With the increase of direct navigational communications with Europe, the Customs of Fortaleza was created in 1812. In 1824, the city was targeted by the revolutionaries of Confederation of the Equator. Between the years of 1846 and 1877, the city went through a period of enrichment, economic and infrastructural improvement. This included the export of cotton and the development of diverse workmanships, such as the creation of the 2 secondary schools, the Ceara and Mucuripe Lighthouse in 1845, Santa Casa de Misericordia de Fortaleza in 1861, Prainha Seminary in 1864, Public Library in 1867 and the Public transport at network in 1870, which began with the construction of Railroad of Baturite.
Ferreira Square in 1920.
The decades of 1870 and 1880 were a period referred to as abolitionist and republican. Such movements caused the Emancipation of enslaved African-Brazilians in Ceara on March 25, 1884, four years before slavery was eradicated from the country as a whole. The literary movement "Spiritual Bakery" appeared in 1892 and pioneered the
