Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Empire's Asian Capital: How Goa Ruled the East
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about how the Portuguese built their empire through feitorias and cartazes — trading posts and paper passes — but I realised we never really stopped to look at the actual capital of that whole system. The place where the Viceroy sat, where the fleets were coordinated, where the silver from Potosí got spent on Asian spices. Luna: You mean Goa? Lucas: Exactly. Portuguese Goa. But not the Goa that tourists know today — the beach parties and trance music. I'm talking about Velha Goa, Old Goa, which in the 16th and 17th centuries was arguably the most important European city east of the Cape of Good Hope. It was called the 'Rome of the East' — and not just because of the churches. Luna: Rome of the East — that's a big claim. Lucas: It earned it. At its peak in the 1630s, Old Goa had a population of about 200,000 — bigger than Lisbon. It had cathedrals that rivalled anything in Europe, a palace for the Viceroy, an arsenal, a hospital, a mint, and a Senate Chamber where the city's elite governed. But it all started with a conquest. In 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque — the same guy who took Malacca and Hormuz — set his sights on Goa. Lucas: At the time, Goa was controlled by the Sultan of Bijapur, Yusuf Adil Shah. It wasn't a huge prize militarily, but Albuquerque saw its strategic value: it had a natural harbour on the Mandovi River, it was defensible as an island, and it was right in the middle of the Arabian Sea trade routes. He attacked in February 1510, took the city, lost it a few months later, and then came back in November with a bigger force and took it for good. Luna: So it took him two tries. Lucas: Yes, and the second time he was helped by a privateer named Timoja — a Hindu corsair who had his own beef with the Sultan. But once Albuquerque had the city, he made a calculated decision: he encouraged his soldiers to marry local women. He distributed land grants, and he declared Goa the capital of the Estado da Índia — the State of India, which was the Portuguese term for all their territories from East Africa to Japan. Lucas: These mixed-race couples produced a class known as the Casados — literally 'the married ones' — who became the backbone of Portuguese colonial society. They were merchants, soldiers, and bureaucrats. They spoke Konkani and Portuguese, wore both European and Indian clothes, and their cuisine blended Portuguese pork with local spices. That's where dishes like vindaloo come from, by the way — 'vinha d'alhos', wine and garlic. Luna: Oh, I love vindaloo. I didn't know it was a Goan-Portuguese thing. Lucas: Absolutely. But back to the city itself. Old Goa was built on a grand scale. The Viceroy's palace was on the main square, the Terreiro do Paço. The Cathedral of Santa Catarina, completed in 1619, was larger than any church in Portugal. The Church of São Francisco de Assis was covered in gilded woodcarvings. And then there's the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which holds the body of St. Francis Xavier — you know, the missionary who travelled all over Asia. Lucas: His body is supposedly incorrupt. It's in a silver casket, brought out every ten years. In the 16th and 17th centuries, pilgrims came from all over the Catholic world to see it. But Goa wasn't just a religious centre — it was also a commercial hub. Spices from the Moluccas, textiles from Gujarat, Chinese silks from Macau, African slaves from Mozambique — all passed through Goa's markets. Luna: But wasn't there also a really dark side? I've heard about the Goa Inquisition. Lucas: There was. The Inquisition was established in Goa in 1560, just a few decades after the city was taken. It was aimed at rooting out heresy among the converted Christians — especially 'New Christians', Jews who had converted to Catholicism in Portugal and then moved to Goa. But it also targeted Hindus and Muslims who were suspected of practising their old faith in secret. And it was brutal. Lucas: The auto-da-fé — the public burning of heretics — was a regular spectacle in the main square. Records show that between 1560 and 1774, the Inquisition tried over 16,000 people. About 57 were executed. But thousands more were publicly humiliated, flogged, or imprisoned. And the Inquisition also ordered the destruction of Hindu temples. Hundreds of temples were demolished, and the stones were often used to build churches. Luna: That's horrifying. And that's the same place that produced vindaloo and beautiful churches. Lucas: Exactly. Colonialism is never a simple story. But here's something interesting: the Inquisition also had an unexpected effect. By persecuting Hindus and forcing conversions, it actually pushed many Goan Hindus to migrate to neighbouring territories — like the farming villages of what is now Karnataka. They took their skills, their trade networks, and their culture, and they preserved it. So the resistance wasn't just martyrdom — it was also survival through flight. Luna: And I remember reading about a village called Cuncolim that rebelled. Is that right? Lucas: Yes, Cuncolim. In 1583, the villagers of Cuncolim, in southern Goa, rose up against the Portuguese. They killed five Jesuit missionaries and a few local converts. In response, the Portuguese massacred the village leadership. But the interesting part is that the rebellion was organised by the gaunkaris — the village councils that had existed for centuries. So it wasn't just religious: it was about land rights, tax, and autonomy. Lucas: The Portuguese eventually crushed it, but Cuncolim remained a symbol of resistance. Even today, the village has a shrine dedicated to the martyrs of that revolt — from the Hindu side. So the memory cuts both ways. Luna: You know, after hearing all this — the grandeur and the violence, the spice and the blood — I'm struck by how much of this history is still alive in Goa today. Lucas: Honestly, that's exactly the kind of reflection that makes this show what it is. If today's episode felt worth a coffee to you, that's the link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. We keep this ad-free, listener-supported, and it's listeners like you who make it possible. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to say 'this matters'. And it really does help. Lucas: So anyway, back to Goa. One thing I haven't mentioned is how the city declined. By the 18th century, Old Goa was in trouble. Epidemics of cholera and malaria swept through the low-lying city. The Mandovi River silted up, making it harder for big ships to dock. The Viceroy moved to a new palace in Panjim, further west. And by 1843, Panjim became the official capital. Old Goa was largely abandoned — swallowed by jungle. Luna: So the 'Rome of the East' became a ghost town. Lucas: Almost. The churches were preserved, and in the 20th century they were restored. Today, Old Goa is a UNESCO World Heritage site. But the decline tells you something about the fragility of these colonial empires. They depended on trade routes, on health, on military power — and when any of those shifted, the whole edifice could crumble. Goa under Portugal lasted 451 years, until 1961, when India finally annexed it. But its golden age was really only about a hundred years. Luna: I've been to Goa, but I feel like I need to go back and see it with new eyes — the churches, the ruins, the markets. Lucas: And when you do, try the vindaloo. But also look for the little details: the Portuguese-style houses, the local language that still has Portuguese loanwords, the Catholic processions that mix with Hindu traditions. That's the living legacy of the Estado da Índia — not just in stone, but in everyday life.