The city of São Luís, capital of what is now the state of Maranhão, was founded by French settlers led by Daniel de La Touche, Seigneur de La Ravardière. The settlement was part of the short-lived French colonial project known as France Équinoxiale. São Luís is the only Brazilian state capital founded by the French rather than the Portuguese. The city later came under Portuguese control in 1615.
