The oldest African-based temple in Brazil, the Terreiro da Casa Branca—known in Yoruba as Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká—was founded by three African women from the Nago people on a plot of land behind the Barroquinha Church around 1830.
According to oral tradition, the origins of the community now known as Casa Branca date back to the leadership of three African women: Iyá Detá, Iyá Akalá, and Iyá Nassô.The name Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká was given in honor of one of these women, the Yoruba Iyá Nassô (Mother Nassô), who is considered the principal founder. The move to Engenho Velho, where the headquarters is located today, took place when religious practices that diverged from Catholicism began to be persecuted.
