Well, in Rio there was a “Tabuleiro da Baiana” (“Bahiana's Tray”). That's how the tram terminal station was known, inaugurated on July 3, 1937, at Largo da Carioca. The nickname came from the baianas who sold their goods in the area, and from the shape of the terminal, which had a flat roof supported by three columns, forming two internal spans through which the trams passed.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene. On the left side, we see a large building with many windows. In front of it, there is an open area with people walking and parked vehicles. In the background, there is a building under construction and a large excavation site. On the right, we see more buildings and a hill with vegetation. At the bottom of the image, there is a structure that appears to be a bus terminal or train station, with platforms and people waiting.Tabuleiro da Baiana, in front of Largo da Carioca. Source: Bafafa website
It was common to find baianas selling cocada, cuscuz, pé de moleque, or acarajé on the streets of Rio in the first half of the 20th century. They wore their flared skirts, blouses, and turbans. Ary Barroso's song "No Tabuleiro da Baiana," released around the same time as the terminal's inauguration, was a huge hit: first sung by the duo Grande Otelo and Déo Martins, and later by Carmem Miranda. It was not a reference to the terminal, of course, but to the baianas who used to circulate through the area.
The station was built to replace the tram terminus, which had previously been located in Galeria Cruzeiro. Its construction required the demolition of the D. Pedro II Theater, opened in 1871 (formerly Teatro Lírico).
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an old urban scene. On the left side, we see a streetcar numbered 1826 with the inscription "Laranjeiras" on the top. In front of the streetcar, there are several people walking and waiting. In the background, there are buildings and a large structure covered with various advertisements and posters. The spatial arrangement is asymmetrical, with the streetcar occupying the foreground on the left and the people and buildings occupying the background on the right.Streetcar passing through Tabuleiro da Baiana. Source: Bafafa website
In the 1940s-1960s, the golden age of the trams, movement there was intense, and the Tabuleiro was rarely seen empty. But starting in 1965, trams stopped running in the Zona Sul, and the station became obsolete. In 1968, it was demolished along with the final leveling of Morro Santo Antônio.
