The Cais do Valongo is recognized as the largest port for receiving enslaved Africans in the world. It is estimated that around 800,000 enslaved people passed through it, possibly reaching as many as 1 million, during the time it existed – from 1774 to 1831.
Image description: This is a painting depicting a port scene. On the left, there is a building with a red tile roof, where people are gathered around a table. On the right, two ships are sailing on the river. In the center, several people are in boats, some rowing and others talking. The background features buildings and a cityscape.Desembarque de escravizados no Cais do Valongo. Pintura de Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835. Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural
Following an 1774 determination by the viceroy Marquis of Lavradio, the old disembarkation port for enslaved people at Peixe beach – present-day Praça XV – was moved to the Valongo region, which became the most important site for the trafficking of enslaved people in the city. The change was intended to minimize the discomfort felt by the elites at having the port and the market for enslaved people in the city's most upscale area.
Around the new port (which until 1811 was just a wooden pier where Africans disembarked), a veritable complex devoted to this trade took shape: the market for enslaved people, the lazaretto, and the Pretos Novos cemetery were moved to the area, bringing about greater traffic among traders of enslaved people, but also a strong presence of Africans and crioulos – as Black people born in Brazil were called – whether enslaved, free, or freed.
Image description: This is a colored illustration, dated 1835, depicting a market on Rua do Valongo, as mentioned in the caption on the website. The image shows a shop with a wooden roof structure and light-colored walls. On the left, there is a row of people seated on benches, while on the right sits a man wearing a straw hat and a colonial uniform, seated in a chair. In the central part, there is a table where more people are seated. The setting appears to be lit by large windows in the background.Mercado da rua do Valongo - Jean Baptiste Debret, 1835. Wikimedia Commons
In November 1831, with the signing of the 1st law banning the trafficking of enslaved people, the Cais do Valongo was deactivated, even though the disembarkation of Africans continued at more hidden ports. In 1843, the site was landfilled for the 1st time, for the occasion of the arrival of Empress Teresa Cristina in Brazil. Starting in 1904, the then Cais da Imperatriz was landfilled again and became a square, Praça Jornal do Comércio.
This practice of literally burying the memory sites of slavery was adopted by the Brazilian State, in an attempt to erase what was one of the greatest crimes against humanity.
However, with the Porto Maravilha works, the Cais do Valongo was rediscovered, and, based on the demands of the Black Movement and other civil society agents, in 2011, the region began to be excavated, with the aim of unearthing this past related to slavery.
Image description: This is a photograph of an urban location, possibly a historic center or an area under construction. On the left, there is a large building with many windows and a light-colored façade. In the center, there is a stone and concrete structure that appears to be undergoing renovation or construction. On the right, there are tall palm trees and other modern buildings. The sky is light blue, indicating a sunny day.Cais da Imperatriz e Cais do Valongo sob a Praça Jornal do Comércio. Foto de Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, 2012 - Wikimedia Commons
In 2017, Unesco granted the title of world heritage site to the space that, for the Black population, is a place of memory and reverence for ancestry; and for the rest of the Brazilian population, is a reminder that the Brazilian State has a historical debt to the Black population.
Click here and learn more with the project "Valongo, cais de ideias."
