During the 16th century, the Tupinanbás Indians occupied the area, which is
now known as Búzios. During the 17th century, the Europeans invaded what was
then a small village and as a result, the Tupinanbás developed strict
relationships with the French pirates and smugglers, who were interested in
smuggling pau-brasil (famous Brazilian reddish wood) and selling African
Slaves. Eventually the French were expelled by the Portuguese due to their
bloody disputes with the Tupinambás, which resulted in a significant decrease
in the Indian population in that region.
In the 18th century, the gold trade from Minas
