Listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network GaWC as an alpha global city , it exerts substantial international influence in commerce, finance, arts, and entertainment. The city's name honors Paul the Apostle and people from the city are known as paulistanos. The city's Latin motto is Non ducor, duco , which translates as "I am not led, I lead. Founded in by Jesuit priests , the city was the center of the bandeirantes settlers during Colonial Brazil , but it became a relevant economic force only during the Brazilian coffee cycle in the midth century and later consolidated its role as the main national economic hub with industrialization in Brazil in the 20th century, which made the city a cosmopolitan melting pot , home to the largest Arab , Italian , and Japanese diasporas in the world, with ethnic neighborhoods like Bixiga , Bom Retiro , and Liberdade , and people from more than other countries.
Other tribes also lived in areas that today form the metropolitan region. The region was divided in Caciquedoms chiefdoms at the time of encounter with the Europeans.
Among the many indigenous names of places, rivers, neighborhoods, etc. They first had a small structure built of rammed earth , made by Native Indian workers in their traditional style. The priests wanted to evangelize these Indians who lived in the Plateau region of Piratininga and convert them to Christianity. The site was separated from the coast by the Serra do Mar mountain range, called "Serra Paranapiacaba" by the Indians. The college was named for a Christian saint and its founding on the feast day of the celebration of the conversion of the Apostle Paul of Tarsus.
The settlement of the region's Courtyard of the College began in It was then named "College of St. Paul of the Piratininga". It offered better protection from attacks by local Indian groups. The new capital was established on 23 April , with public celebrations. It was also the center of interior colonial development. Because they were extremely poor, the Paulistas could not afford to buy African slaves, as did other Portuguese colonists.
The town became a center for the bandeirantes , intrepid invaders who marched into unknown lands in search for gold, diamonds, precious stones, and Indians to enslave. The bandeirantes , which could be translated as "flag-bearers" or "flag-followers", organized excursions into the land with the primary purpose of profit and the expansion of territory for the Portuguese crown.
