Largo do Pelourinho

We stayed right on this square, which actually is more of a triangle. It's beautiful, at many times noisily filled with drummers, but an early start gets some photos before the tourists pile in.

While it is one of the jewels of Salvador for its wonderful architecture, the somber fact is there in the name. Pelourinho means pillory, or whipping post. This was once the place of public punishment.