Feitoria (Civ6)/Civilopedia

The feitoria – literally “factory” – was a trade depot set up overseas to facilitate trade, and, as such, it was a key institution of early mercantilist projects, especially the Portuguese networks of the early modern period (1300s-1600s). Here, European merchants could exchange goods in a space protected by European arms, operating with some degree of independence from the local ruler – and local pirates. Feitoria had a dark side, however: non-Europeans were not allowed to own land within one, and, later, they were key outposts of European colonization. Worse, the feitorias were key outposts in the trafficking of enslaved people.
The first Portuguese feitoria was in the North African country of Mauritania, but later outposts were in Goa (in India), Malacca (in present-day Malaysia), Ternate (present-day Indonesia), Macau (in China), and Nagasaki (in Japan). In each spot, the Portuguese left their mark: Malacca and Goa have sizeable Catholic populations, Macau has impressive architecture left over from the Portuguese period, and bakers in Nagasaki still make Portuguese-style castella (kasutera, in Japanese) cakes.