On the “other side of the tunnel,” Rio had different features, a bit less glamorous. While Copacabana stood out as a hub of leisure and entertainment, the suburbs of the North Zone were home to the factories, wholesale businesses, and their workers.
Over time, the peaceful life of chairs on the suburban sidewalks was replaced by asphalt and houses without gardens. Méier developed on what was once the "Jesuits' Engenho Novo," and its first inhabitants, besides the priests of the Society of Jesus, were the Black people from the Serra dos Pretos Forros quilombo. In the 19th century, the land was part of the "Quinta dos Duques." The neighborhood's name honors Augusto Duque Estrada Meyer, chamberlain to Emperor D. Pedro II. His parents were the owners of the land. Considered the capital of the suburbs by Lima Barreto, it saw remarkable growth, becoming the center of a powerful commercial district where branches of the great stores found in Copacabana were located, along with huge movie theaters like the Imperator, as well as the city's groups of wayward youths. Jardim do Méier, which was once a place for picnics and outings, has changed radically and today looks like a large highway interchange, full of overpasses.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a park with several children playing. On the left side, there are benches and a small grassy area. In the center, there is a pavilion with a sloped roof and side porches. On the right, there is a wooden swing set. The children are scattered throughout the park, some walking and others playing near the equipment. There are trees in the background, creating a peaceful atmosphere.Jardim do Méier in 1970. Arquivo Nacional - Fundo Correio da Manhã.
Madureira, in turn, resulted from the subdivision of the old Fazenda do Campinho, where Lourenço Madureira lived. The neighborhood belonged to the parish of Nossa Senhora da Glória do Campinho and was an area of sugarcane cultivation, at the Engenho do Portela. In the 1960s, Madureira ended up taking on the centrality of the North Zone. The Mercadão de Madureira, the growth of activities linked to the samba schools, and the neighborhood's strategic position as the main road-and-rail hub of the suburbs made the neighborhood stand out more and more.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a commercial street. On the left side, there is a vintage car parked in front of a store with stacked boxes at the entrance. In the center, a person is walking. On the right, there is a vintage car parked in front of a building with the word "BANCO" prominently displayed. At the top of the image, there is a building with balconies and railings.Mercadão de Madureira in 1973. Image taken from the Diário do Rio website
