This work emerged from the idea of investigating the neighborhood of Parada de Lucas, and all the information was gathered from the internet, including some social media and official blogs of cultural and religious sites in the region, containing historical accounts of the neighborhood. With so much information available, I selected information that shows the cultural richness of the neighborhood, which much of the Rio population is unaware of. In the news, a lot is said about violence, crime, and poverty, but Parada de Lucas has a people who keep an entire cultural heritage alive, making the region rich in struggle and resistance.
About the neighborhood
Parada de Lucas is a neighborhood in the Zona Norte of Rio de Janeiro. It borders Cordovil, Vigário Geral, Vista Alegre, Irajá, and Duque de Caxias. The important Avenida Brasil runs alongside the neighborhood.
When the area began to be settled, around 1931, the supply of drinking water for the residents' houses came from a place called Três Bicas - a name that remains to this day.
The combination of the name of a landowner in the region (José Lucas de Almeida) and a train station opened in 1949 gave rise to the neighborhood's name. In fact, it was at Lucas's own request that the station was built. This way, the transport of goods for local merchants could be done more easily.
Parada de Lucas station around 1960. Image taken from the Estações Ferroviárias website.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a railway station. On the left side, we see stopped trains, while on the right there are platforms with people waiting. In the background, there are buildings and trees.Before the current station, there was just a simple wooden stop. Where the Caprichosa bus company is located today, used to be José Lucas's house, who had a Portuguese kale plantation.
When it became a neighborhood, people from various regions of Rio de Janeiro, Northeasterners, and other migrants settled in Parada de Lucas. The oldest residents were Portuguese, African descendants, Jews, and people from the Middle East.
In the 1940s, the Bloch printing company, founded in 1939 by Adolpho Bloch and one of the largest in Latin America at the time, was relocated to Parada de Lucas, where a graphic arts complex was built.
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of an industrial complex. The image shows several buildings arranged in parallel rows, with brown-colored roofs. On the left, there is a series of long, low buildings, while on the right there are shorter, rectangular structures. In the center, there is a building with a white cylindrical tower. In the background, there is a green area and a traffic road.Parque Gráfico de Parada de Lucas em 1974 - Imagem retirada da página de Facebook Memórias do Subúrbio Carioca
Cultural landmarks
Unidos de Lucas Samba School
The neighborhood has a samba school, “Unidos de Lucas,” which remains active and holds parades. The school was inaugurated on 05/01/1966, from the merger of "Aprendizes de Lucas” and “Unidos da Capela”. Nowadays, Unidos de Lucas competes in Series B of Rio's Carnival. The samba school's events usually attract many people during Carnival.
Church of Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian church is a major highlight, drawing many worshippers during the Feast of Saint Sebastian on January 20. According to parishioners, the cornerstone of the old chapel was laid in 1917.
On January 17, 1941, Cardinal Dom Sebastião Leme turned the chapel into a Parish, since the other ones - the Sé Santa Cecília, in Brás de Pina, and Nossa Senhora da Apresentação, in Irajá - were farther away.
The old São Sebastião de Lucas Chapel - Image taken from the São Sebastião de Lucas blog
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. On the left side, we see a building with a cross at the top, suggesting it is a church. The façade is made of stone and has three barred windows. On the right, there is a large tree. In the center, a crowd of people is gathered, with some adults dressed in white and children in lighter clothing. Everyone is posing for the photo in front of the church.Bumba-meu-boi
The Bumba-meu-boi group Brilho de Lucas was founded in the 1980s by the Maranhão families Rosa Castro and Silva Costa. A few informal gatherings began taking place with the aim of remembering their homeland through its food and music. The gatherings took place on weekends, in the backyards of the two families, who would get together to improvise drumming on buckets and pots, eat, and listen to music from Maranhão, including Bumba-meu-boi toadas.
Over time, the group decided to take the Boi out into the street. With the help of other people from Maranhão who had already joined the group, the event gained more supporters and began to parade, taking over the entire Rua Joaquim Rodrigues.
The group has a cultural space and performs every year during the June festivities, and in 2012 it was added to the city's official festival calendar.
Party at the headquarters of Boi Brilho de Lucas in 2014 - YouTube video
