João Pessoa was founded on August 5, 1585, by Portuguese settlers. Called "Royal City of Our Lady of the Snows", in honor of the saint of the day it was founded, its first structures were on the banks of the Sanhauá River, a tributary of the Paraíba River, now known as Porto do Varadouro, in the neighborhood of the same name. In 1588, the city was renamed "Philipeia of Our Lady of the Snows", in honor of King Philip II, who at the time accumulated the thrones of Spain and Portugal.