Interior of São Paulo

The interior of São Paulo is an informal term to describe the zone that covers the entire area of the state of São Paulo outside the Metropolitan Region and the coast of São Paulo. The interior stands out for having a very rich cultural set, including several unique accents different from those of the capital and the coast. This area is densely industrialized and characterized by a large and diversified economy, being one of the richest regions in Latin America. About 1/4 of the interior's GDP is concentrated in the Metropolitan Region of Campinas, which is increasingly consolidating itself as the hub of the Brazilian automotive sector. The interior of São Paulo stands out for having a good infrastructure, becoming a pole of attraction for investments. History of São Paulo When the Portuguese arrived, there were a variety of indigenous tribes in the interior of São Paulo, predominantly from the macro-Jê linguistic group, such as the Kayapo, Xavante, Kaingang and Puri, and also territories inhabited by Guarani people. In the 1560s, shortly after the founding of the town of São Paulo de Piratininga, the Paulistas, mostly caboclos (children of Portuguese settlers with indigenous women), began to explore the countryside in search of precious metals or to fight indigenous people according to the principle of fair warfare. One of the first expeditions of the Paulistas dates back to 1562, when João Ramalho left for the Paraíba Valley to fight the Guarani people who had surrounded São Paulo a short time before. In the 1580s, settlers from the towns of Santos, São Vicente and São Paulo departed on expeditions against the Guarani people in the valleys of the Tietê and Paraíba do Sul rivers. In 1585, Captain Major Jerônimo Leitão personally led a mission to Paranaguá to fight the native after requests from other settlers. During the 1590s, several punitive expeditions into the countryside were organized in retaliation for indigenous attacks on settlers and catechized Indians around São Paulo.