In the 16th to the 19th century, the Portuguese began using azulejos to decorate important buildings such as churches, public buildings and the homes of the wealthy. The tiles were often used on the façade of buildings telling elaborate stories either from the Bible or of Portuguese history. They also decorate the walls inside the buildings in a way similar to Italian frescoes or mosaics. The tile was originally imported from Delft, but in the late 1600’s the King of Portugal banned all imports of azulejos, forcing Portuguese artists to begin to create their own blue and white tile designs. The results are stunning…