Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco

Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco (1566–1619) was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He is noted as the founder of the city of Belém, capital of Pará, Brazil, on 12 January 1616. Caldeira served as the first Governor General (Governador Geral) of the Captaincy of Grão-Pará.

On January 12, Francisco Caldeira arrived at Guajará Bay, called by the Tupinambás, "Guaçu Paraná". He built a wooden fort, covered with straw, and called it "Presépio de Belém", or the Crib of Bethlehem. It is now known as the Forte do Presépio. A colony formed around the fort, which Caldeira called "Feliz Lusitania" (Happy Lusitania). The settlement was the embryo of the city of Belém. Colonisation under Caldiera was initially peaceful and without opposition from the indigenous people of Pará.