Maceió is the most densely populated city in the State of Alagoas, with an estimated population of 943,109. It covers an area of 503km² and is the main municipality in the Metropolitan Region of Maceió. Situated in East Alagoas and bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, the capital has a tropical climate and breathtaking coastline, which attracts tourism as an important factor of its economy (IBGE, CNM, 2011). Its history, like most of Northeast Brazil, goes back to the early days of European invasion when the sugar mills were built. The foundation of the village that would have been the origin of Maceió dates from 1609. Jaraguá port, in the region of the village, developed and was promoted to “the category of town when Alagoas was officially named” in 1815.   In 1817 Alagoas was politically emancipated and the capital then transferred to Maceió in 1839 (IBGE, 2011). Maceió is also well known nationwide for its cultural events and traditional festivals. The reisado festival at Epiphany is one example. This revelry inspired artist Genesio de Melo from Maceió to make elaborate reisado headdresses.