Aseaofhills

Rio of hillside streets Civilization at a crossroads Each hillside is a nation

Rio de Janeiro grew between the waters of Guanabara Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, on one side, and the hills surrounding the city, on the other. It then spread across the lowlands and flat lands, following the courses of old rivers and skirting the elevations.

Image description: This is a photograph of a mountainous landscape. On the left side, we see a series of hills covered in green vegetation. Moving toward the right, the hills become taller and less densely covered with trees. In the center, there is a valley with open green fields. In the foreground, we see a densely populated city with colorful houses. The sky is blue with a few scattered white clouds.

There are three great massifs that surround the city: Tijuca, Pedra Branca, and Gericinó-Mendanha, and these unfold into ranges and mountains. On the slopes, there were forests, and amid the rocky descents, streams wound their way, becoming rivers and moistening the lowlands, forming lagoons and swamps. All of this was once so, and it left marks on the landscape. This geography, in no way flat or simple to deal with, was exuberant and enchanting, while at the same time challenging occupation, amid so much flood-prone land on the plain and steep hills. Even today, the presence of urban forests marks the city's geography, and is a breath of fresh air reachable from different parts of Rio.

The city was founded between two hills: Cara de Cão and Pão de Açúcar, facing the bay, and by the river that in turn gave its name to its inhabitants. The Carioca River, whose name derives from a Tupinambá indigenous village (Karióg or Kariók) that inhabited the region of what is now the Glória neighborhood, was from the very beginning a source of clean water, and the lands around its mouth were the object of dispute between the invaders and the native peoples. It was here, at the foot of a small hill called an outeiro, that the Battle of Uruçumirim (1567) was fought, violently deciding the fate of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a coastal landscape. On the left side, we see a calm sea with a few boats in the distance. In the center, there is an island covered with green vegetation. On the right, a steep cliff rises above a small beach. In the upper right, there is a white building with a red roof, possibly a church, with a central tower. Around this structure, there are a few smaller houses. The sky is partly cloudy, with white and gray clouds.

Starting in the early 20th century, the slopes of the hills near the city center were occupied by the population that was being expelled from the flat areas by urban reforms — such as the one led by Mayor Pereira Passos, between 1902 and 1906. The need to be close to workplaces and to maintain the ties of sociability in this space, together with the lack of means to bear the costs of housing in the flat part of the central areas, drove these people, most of them Black, to the higher parts, which were harder to access and settle.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph showing a city with a panoramic view. On the left side, we see lower buildings and brick houses, while on the right, there are taller, more distant buildings. In the center, there is an open area with trees and a small group of people walking. In the background, mountains covered with vegetation form the skyline.

The violent changes in urban space gave rise to the favelas, thus producing a way of occupying the elevated areas of Rio de Janeiro, which even associated the term "morro" (hill) with this type of community. Even though these are places marked by inequality, precariousness, often violence, and a limited presence of the State in terms of services for citizens, they recognize themselves as having their own identity and history, which many residents take pride in — since it mirrors their resilience, strength, and beauty. Being a 'cria' of a Rio hill means having a place to belong to. And it's worth remembering: from many of these hills, you can take in the most beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay. Rio Atlântico belongs to the favela too.

Image description: This is a photograph of a city built on mountain slopes. On the left side, we see the turquoise-blue sea with waves crashing against the rocks. Moving to the right, we see the city spread across the mountain slopes, with houses and buildings scattered amid the green vegetation. In the background, two large rock formations stand out, one of them with a triangular shape. To the right, there is another rock formation, also with an irregular shape. The sky is light blue with a few scattered clouds.