Cafua das Mercês (Museu do Negro)
Cafua das Mercês - Museu do Negro
A building said to have held enslaved Africans during the colonial slave trade, now the Black Museum, displaying instruments of slavery and artifacts of Afro-Brazilian culture.
This low building with thick walls is said to have been used to hold Africans freshly brought over as enslaved people. It is now the Black Museum, displaying shackles, neck restraints, and other instruments of bondage, along with Afro-Brazilian religious objects, wood carvings, and historical materials about resistance to slavery. The museum tells the story of Maranhão as a major destination for enslaved people brought to Brazil. It is small, and a visit takes about half an hour. It is located near the Convento das Mercês and can be visited together with the Igreja do Desterro.
Opening hours
Open daytime Tue–Sun (check on site)
Nearby sights
- Convento das Mercês
- Centro de Cultura Popular Domingos Vieira Filho
- Casa do Tambor de Crioula
- Igreja do Desterro
- Historic Centre of São Luís (Praia Grande)
- Casa das Tulhas (Feira da Praia Grande)
- Igreja do Carmo
- Museu de Artes Visuais