Joao Fialho (1582-) was a Portuguese explorer who led an expedition to Sri Lanka in 1638-1640. Fialho founded a colony on a small island off the western coast of Ceylon, calling it Ilha dos Seraus after the plentiful serow goats on the island. After overseeing the colony's growth and fortification, Fialho outfitted a 25-man military expedition to explore and colonize mainland Ceylon, and he founded Fort Ceilão in northern Ceylon in 1639. Fialho established trade with the local Zen Buddhist and Bhakti Hindu temples, and he fortified the Portuguese colony on Ceylon and, in 1640, oversaw the creation of another colony, Penhasco, farther south.