CampodeSantana

Nos mapas com vista aérea do Rio de Janeiro produzidos no século XIX, entre as demais ruas, quadras, edifícios e acidentes geográficos da cidade demarcados no papel — In nineteenth-century aerial-view maps of Rio de Janeiro, among the other streets, blocks, buildings, and geographical features of the city marked on paper, the Campo de Santana is hardly likely to go unnoticed. What is today the current Praça da República — with its laid-out paths and planned landscaping — was once a vast, muddy wasteland, practically uninhabited and pushed to the city's margins. But starting in the nineteenth century, it became the stage for decisive political milestones in the history of Rio — and of Brazil.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a majestic palace. On the left side, we see a series of columns forming the main building. In the center, there is a large dome with ornamental details. On the right, there is a lower structure, also featuring decorative elements. The background shows a mountain covered with vegetation.

The name of the region comes from the Igreja de Santana, built in 1735 — and demolished in the mid-19th century —, located where the Central do Brasil building now stands. For many years, activity in the region was restricted to devotees of the saint of the same name, as well as animal owners, who took their animals there to graze. But everything changed after the arrival of the royal family — along with thousands of civil servants, nobles, and other Portuguese subjects who crossed the ocean following the court.

Just as other parts of Rio de Janeiro, Campo de Santana changed drastically in appearance starting in the 1810s. A far from trivial improvement was the construction of an enormous fountain, with 22 spouts, supplied by the waters of the Maracanã River. The site even came to be nicknamed the “washerwomen's field.” The activity surrounding the water was intense, not only due to clothes washing, but also because of the “aguadeiros” (water carriers), who transported water in large barrels tied to carts, selling the liquid from house to house and through the streets of the city.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a rural scene with a small town in the background. On the left side, we see several simple houses, some with red roofs. In the center, there is a structure that appears to be a church with side towers, standing out against the horizon. On the right, there is a hill covered with green trees. In the foreground, people are walking and interacting, some are near animals, such as donkeys. The sky is clear and blue, with few clouds. There is no readable text in the image.

The field area was open, following a Portuguese tradition. Maintaining a large, spacious open ground within the city was ideal for the sumptuous celebrations promoted by the Crown. The wedding of d. Pedro and d. Leopoldina, in 1817, and the festivities celebrating d. João VI as king of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, the following year, offered the population of Rio de Janeiro grand spectacles never before seen in the city. The site received illuminated towers, an arena for bullfights, and a new royal palace — complete with a garden and a promenade. The wide balcony, facing the square along its entire length, was well suited for the monarch to wave to the population celebrating on the level below.

The Campo de Santana area was well suited for military practices and exercises. The installation of a barracks there made it a busy area with the constant coming and going of soldiers. It was no coincidence that people and troops gathered there to defend d. Pedro I from a riot that occurred early in the year of Independence.

On January 9, 1822, d. Pedro announced to the population that he had chosen to disobey a decree, signed by the king, ordering him to leave the regency of Brazil and return to Portugal. A significant part of the population celebrated the news; but not everyone did. Two days after the episode that would go down in history as "the Fico," general Jorge de Avilez — commander of troops loyal to Lisbon — started a mutiny, seeking to force the heir to the throne's departure to Europe. But he failed. This was because, besides the fact that other military divisions had remained on the monarch's side, a crowd of thousands of common people gathered at Campo de Santana in defense of d. Pedro. Many even went to the square's barracks to arm themselves — with the military chiefs' permission and everything. While the tension did not fade away — which happened the following day, with Avilez's surrender —, the people kept watch, spread out across the open space.

A few months later, in October, the site hosted what may be considered the main public (and symbolic) celebration of Brazil's Independence: the acclamation of the emperor, d. Pedro I. The episode served to ratify the capital's population's support for the act of political emancipation, decreed in September. On the day of the celebration, October 12 — in an "arranged" coincidence, since it was also d. Pedro's birthday —, rain seemed like it would ruin the festivities. It only seemed that way.

Thousands of people saluted the new sovereign of Brazil, who waved to the crowd from the top of the balcony of the small palace — built specifically for his wedding just a few years earlier. Representations of the episode produced by artists of the time — who, as usual, exaggerated the number of people present at the event — show d. Pedro next to a flag with the empire's colors, green and yellow. The celebration lasted all day, with cavalcades, music, dancing, and shouts of “hurrah!”. Such was the event's importance to the city of Rio that the space came to be officially called “Campo da Aclamação”. Even so, to this day, the current Praça da República still goes by the name Campo de Santana.

Image description: This is a photograph of a city with mountains in the background. On the left side, we see a green area with trees. In the center, there is a road complex with several roads and bridges. On the right, the city is densely populated with buildings. The mountains are on the horizon, with predominantly blue and purple tones.

Bibliographic References

ENDERS, Armelle. A história do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Gryphus Editora, 2015.

MARSON, Izabel Andrade; OLIVEIRA, Cecília Helena L. de Salles (Orgs.). Monarquia, liberalismo e negócios no Brasil: 1780-1860. São Paulo: Edusp, 2013.

PEDREIRA, Jorge Miguel Viana; COSTA, Fernando Dores. D. João VI: a prince between two continents. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2008.

SHULTZ, Kristen. Tropical Versailles: Empire, Monarchy, and the Portuguese Royal Court in Rio de Janeiro, 1808-1821. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2008.

STARLING, Heloisa Maria Murgel; DE LIMA, Marcela Telles (orgs.). Vozes do Brasil: political language in the Independence period (1820-1824). Brasília: Edições do Senado Federal, 2021.