Praça do Comércio
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The Praça do Comércio is a large, harbour-facing plaza in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and is one of the largest in Portugal, with an area of 175 by 175 m, that is, 30,600 m2.
Statue of King José I, by Machado de Castro (1775). The king on his horse is symbolically crushing snakes on his path.
Terreiro do Paço in 1662, by Dirk Stoop
Praça do Comércio, 2019
Casa da Índia
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The Casa da Índia was a Portuguese state-run commercial organization during the Age of Discovery. It regulated international trade and the Portuguese Empire's territories, colonies, and factories across Asia and Africa. Central to the Casa da Índia's objectives was the establishment and protection of a Portuguese mare clausum in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and the Indies.
Ribeira Palace (on the right), where the Casa da Índia was headquartered, and its naval yards (on the left), in 1575.
Elmina Castle, built in 1482 on the Portuguese Gold Coast, is the oldest European building in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Casa da Guiné e Mina was charged with managing and taxing Elmina along with the other Portuguese factories on the Gulf of Guinea.
The 2nd Portuguese India Armada, commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral, discovered Brazil on its way to India.
King Manuel I of Portugal created the Casa da Índia and oversaw a successful expansionist period of the Portuguese Empire in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.