RIO DE JANEIRO: Meredith Butler
On January 1, 1502, Gaspar de Lemos arrived in Brazil from Portugal and entered the Baía de Guanabara, inhabited at the time by the Tamoio people. He mistook the bay for the entrance of a river and named it Rio de Janeiro. The French settled the area in 1555 as a trade outpost for pau-brasil, or Brazilwood and formed an alliance with the Tamoio against the Portuguese, but were expelled in 1567. The Tamoio were driven from their land by the Portuguese and the settlement Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro was established by the Portuguese government.
By the 17th century, Rio became an important Brazilian settlement. African slaves were brought over to work first the sugar plantations and then the gold mines of Minas Gerias. These gold mines proved to be prolific and the city increased in population and importance as gold and diamonds arrived in the port from Minas Gerais. Because of its new significance in the region, the capital of Brazil was relocated from Salvador, Bahia to Rio. The wealth brought to Rio by the transportation of gold transformed society by establishing a free working class, in contrast to the typical master-slave structure of colonial settlements.
Before the invasion of Napoleon in Portugal in 1808, the monarch and his court of 15,000 set sail for Brazil. His Brazilian subjects celebrated his arrival as he took over the rule of Brazil from his viceroy. Eventually, Dom João became king of Portugal, but because of his love for Brazil, he stayed and declared Rio the capital of the newly established United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve.
In conjunction with the independence of Brazil in 1822 came the decline of gold production and exportation. Labor and efforts were directed a new product, coffee. Coffee production and trade led to the development of railroads for efficient transportation. The rails connected many of the cities and led to great economic gains for each one. In 1889, however, the coffee production in Rio began to decline due to soil problems, erosion and their dependence on slavery. This brought on an economic decline and Rio lost political power to São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the city’s population grew rapidly due to immigration from Europe and migration from within the country. By 1891, Rio was host to more than 500,000 people. The city continued developing and spreading rapidly, removing mountains, reclaiming bay water and constructing skyscrapers in the process.
The early 1920s to the late 1950s were considered Rio’s golden age. The oligarchy of São Paulo – Minas was disrupted and Rio boomed economically with steel, naval and oil plants. It became an exotic destination due to its grand hotels, where celebrities and international society came to play, gamble, dance or perform.
Rio remained the political capital of Brazil until 1960, with the inauguration of Brasilia and the transfer of the government. There is still discussion today over whether Rio was hurt or improved by the government’s move. During the 1960s, modern skyscrapers rose in the city, and some of Rio’s most beautiful buildings were lost. During the same period, the favelas of Rio grew to an unmanageable size and immigrants continued to pour into the city from the poverty-stricken areas of the Northeast and the interior of the country, greatly increasing the number of Rio’s urban poor. This cause crime and violence to increase within the city.
From 1964 to 1985, the final decade of the military dictatorship ruled Brazil with a heavy hand. This was a time of notable protests, such as in 1968 when 100,000 marched upon the Palácio Tiradentes. The military regime was opposed by all, even Rio’s politicians, who fought by withholding federal funding. This lack of vital funding led to a deterioration of the city’s infrastructure.
Today Rio is stable financially, and the city has a new creative energy, as long anticipated projects are fully financed. It has become a center for the service industry, a financial center and an area of light industry. One of the largest projects is the Favela-Bairro project, which has the goal of integrating favelas into the rest of the city by adding basic sanitation and by planning for public leisure areas, health clinics, schools, preschools and community centers. Also, a great revitalization of Rio’s aging colonial buildings and structures is taking place as new businesses arrive in the city. Rio has an extensive cultural life, as well. Their annual Carnaval displays the festive spirit of the city with its three days of music, dancing, singing, and parades.
Rio currently has a population of around 6,100,000 inhabitants occupying 1,182 square kilometers. The greater metropolitan area’s population is estimated to be 11-13.5 million people.
“History of Rio De Janeiro – Lonely Planet Travel Information.” Lonely Planet Travel Guides and Travel Information. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/history>.
“Rio De Janeiro, Brasil by Sergio Koreisha.” University of Oregon. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/rio.html>.
“Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: History.” Brazil – Travel, Political and Cultural Information. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://www.v-brazil.com/information/geography/rio-de-janeiro/history.html>.
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