Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana.COM Thursday, 02-Jul-2009 22:28:44 BRT

History of Copacabana

Home > Street Guide > Copacabana´s History part I ( Copacabana´s History part I page in Portuguese is here)

Copacabana is the most well-known district of Rio de Janeiro, of Brasil, of the World! !

The first legend that is known about Copacabana, the district that already had this name, says that two whales stranded according to ones and free according to others appeared at the beach at the end of August, 1858. Between the days 22nd and 23rd of that year, hundreds of people- like the Emperor Pedro II and his entourage- dislocated to see them.

The richer ones went by coach pulled by horses and carried with them a lot of things to eat at the beach and tents to put themselves in order. Other ones went by horses or even on foot. The whales weren’t there anymore, but in spite of that, who stayed at the beach, had a lot of fun in a picnic that lasted three days and three nights. By this time it started the "dating" of the people of Rio de Janeiro and that hostile and noxious sand dunes, that in the middle of the 18th century changed the name of "Sacopenapã" ( all the region of Copacabana until the "Rodrigo de Freitas" Lagoon), that means the way of the Socós in Tupí, an Indian language. (Socó: a wader bird very abundant in the sandbanks of Rio de Janeiro) to Copacabana, that means lookout of the blue, in Quichua, a language of the natives of Perú and Bolívia. It comes from the antique Aymara too, Copacawana, that means the one who throws away precious gems.

At the peninsula of Copacabana, in the south of Titicaca Lake, between the counties of Perú and Bolívia, there is a chapel that has an image of Virgin Mary that people saay is miraculous. A response of this image was sent to Rio de Janeiro, where was constructed a chapel, and nowadays is the "Posto Seis" (watchtower 06) and was dedicated to "Nossa Senhora de Copacabana", arising, then, the name of the district.

However, this region was incorporated to the city only in July 6th, 1892 with de inauguration of the Túnel de Real Grandeza, nowadays the Túnel Velho (Old Tunnel), which right name is Alaor Prata Tunnel. By that time, with the presence of the meantime president, the Marechal Floriano Peixoto was drawn up the minute that signed the birth of Copacabana. This great improvement allowed an extension of streetcars lines, in principle pulled by animal draft until the Serzedelo Corrêa Square. After that, an extension until Leme and the Rua Nossa Senhora de Copacabana street.

The other tunnel, known as Túnel Novo (New Tunnel) was built only in 1904 and later, a second besides the first, both cut the Babilônia Hill..

Since the first years of the 18th Century, many lands were divided in small farms. In 1779 Copacabana was united to the protection system of the city to avoid the pirates with the constructions of fortifications at the "Reduto do Leme do Forte do Vigia" at the "Babilônia Hill" and the "Reduto de Copa-Cabana", near the chapel. There were already the cannons of "Inhangá do Reduto do Leme

The English painter and writer Maria Graham, in 1824, published the first book that mentioned Copacabana. In her book "Diário de uma viagem ao Brasil", the author made this report: After I came back, I joined a happy group and went for a walk by horse to Copacabana, a small fortification that defends one of the bays behind the "Praia Vermelha" (Red Beach) and this is where you can see one of the most wonderful views of here. The woods of the neighborhood are very beautiful and produces a lot of an excellent fruit called "Cambucá", and in the hills, the polecat and the armadillo are frequently found.

Jean Baptiste Debret, that came to Brazil as a member of the French Artistic Mission, describes in 1834, in his work "Historic and Pictorial Trip to Brazil":

You can see at the sands the small church of Copacabana isolated in a small plateau; at the right side a background formed by a mountain range, that goes inside the sea and hides the sinuosity of the sands, which border appears cultivated , so considered because of the so juicy pineapples.

When Copacabana was no more than a large sands, there was only one way by the sea until reaching the beach with many swamps where there was the old Indians settlements (Tamoios). In 1855 was "born" the Ladeira do Barroso (Barroso Slope), nowadays "Tabajaras" and its extension, the Siqueira Campos street.

José Martins Barroso, owner of lands in Copacabana, ordered a construction of a road where chariots and knights could transit to the beach, it started at Real Grandees street lifting until the grotto between the morros de São João (São João Hill) and Saudade (Sauced). This way was created the second crossing to Copacabana. To work in Brazil, the Brazilian Submarine Telegraph Company, in 1873, the Baron of Mauá got the authorization to install the first telegraph cables through the sea by a submarine cable.

Copacabana- Posto 06 in 1895. We can see the just opened Francisco Otaviano street, Dois Irmãos hill and the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. The house at the right at the Francisco Otaviano corner, was the famous rendezvous of Mère Louise. In the front cottage was the cable telegraph that linked Brazil to Europe, inaugurated 1874.

The works started in a land separated of the "Fazenda de Copacabana" (Farm of Copacabana), at the Praia das Pescarias (Fishing Beach), nowadays Posto 06. Among cashew and Surinam Cherry trees were built two houses, one to pass the submarine cable and the other, besides, to the workers, was the "Casa dos Ingleses" (Englishmen House). From Copacabana, in June, 1874, Brazil is linked to Europe by this cable.

Some years after, Dr. José de Figueiredo Magalhães started a stagecoach service to Copacabana starting at São Clemente street to Real Grandeza street, in Botafogo district, lifted the Barroso slope, nowadays "Tabajaras" slope until Copacabana. There was already a hospital, with a hotel enclosed, in 1878, that Dr. José de Figueiredo Magalhães ordered to build to serve his patients.

In the 90’s, of the 19th century, the "Empresa de Construções Civis" was created to divide land into lots in Copacabana. Alexandre Wagner and his sons in law Otto Simon and Theodoro Duvivier and Paula Freitas and Torquato Tapajós created this company. In 1891, the company bought the properties of Alexandre Wagner which extension was from ladeira do Barroso until Leme to make streets and build houses. The history of Copacabana starts with the opening of the Túnel de Copacabana, in July 6th, 1892 [nowadays Alaor Prata Tunnel, better known as Túnel Velho (Old Tunnel)], projected by the Engineer Coelho Cintra, manager of the "Companhia Ferro-Carril Jardim Botânico".

During a long time, only humble fishermen that used to live in thatched huts inhabited Copacabana. Many men and undertaking companies had foreseen the possibilities of the district and believing in it, made plots. It was the progressive interlace of these plots that gave the geometric shape to the streets.

A man, in particular, Dr. Figueiredo Magalhães, believed a lot in the future of Copacabana. Living in a small farm in the district, since the beginning of the 80’s of the 19th century, started to proclaim the therapeutic benefits of the air and the sea of Copacabana to his patients.

To motive even more the people, the interested companies, like "Jardim Botânico" they used to exhibit the qualities of the district, but some shareholders of the company thought it was dangerous streetcars on a sandy land. The directors, however, argued that both beaches of Copacabana and Arpoador have an excellent and healthy climate, constantly kissed by the fresh winds of the ocean, making of the place a real sanatorium and as part of a city was periodically decimated by epidemics, the beaches would be quickly looked for people like at the cities in Europe.

The first years of the 20th century was very progressive to the district, when were installed the first electrical streetcars to the connection of "Túnel de Copacabana" until the station "Malvino Reis" (nowadays Serzedelo Corrêa Square). It is built a great health resort restaurant, at the end of Leme and created the "Grupo Carnavalesco o Prazer do Leme." (Carnival Group the Pleasure of Leme).

In 1906, March 04th is created the Tunnel of Leme nowadays engineer Coelho Cintra, that linked "Botafogo" until Salvador Corrêa street (nowadays Princesa Isabel street), with electrical streetcars until the Praça do Vigia (nowadays Júlio de Noronha Square).

In that same year, the mayor Pereira Passos started the works to build the Atlântica Avenue, until that, was no more than the backyard of the houses of Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Avenue. The Quarry of Inhangá became shallow and a black and white mosaic, designed as waves, brought from Portugal covers the sidewalks.

With the new facilities to access the new district it becomes fashion going to the midnight Mass at the Christmas in the Chapel of Copacabana. A great new: it is inaugurated the first movie theatre of the district, at Serzedelo Corrêa Square. By that time, the inhabitants of the about 600 houses of the place could have fun at the "Cervejaria Brahma" (Brahma Beer-house), at the end of the connection of the streetcar of Leme, and at the "Cabaret Mère Louise", near the chapel, that used to work day and night and it was alike a western cabaret. The parishes of Nossa Senhora de Copacabana and Santa Rosa de Lima are created. At the promontory of the church the fundamental stone is put to the building of a fortification, nowadays the Copacabana Fortification.

The bathes were fashion and the City Hall made rules de ways the beaches could work. The Mayor Amaro Cavalcanti signs a decree deciding the timetable to go to the beach, that, in 1917 were at the sunrise and at the sunset. After the morning bathing, everybody used to drink a glass of milk in a stable of the Barata Ribeiro street.

In 1910, eighteen years after its existence as a district, Copacabana had 20.000 residents that sent a petition claiming for the creation of schools, hospitals and a square to childish amusement. The aviation was developing and the Copacabana beach was considered an excellent landing place, because of its great visibility conditions to the pilots, that taking off the beach, went to make pirouettes in the downtown skies.

With the presence of the President, the Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, in 1914, near the Chapel, is inaugurated the Copacabana Fortification. At the former year, started the works of building of the Leme Fortification (nowadays Duque de Caxias Fortification) at the beginning of the Leme beach. Only in 1915 was signed by the Mayor Rivadávia Correa, the decree determining the separation of Copacabana from the Gávea district, although it was created in 1892.

Another decree from October 1917, recognizes the denomination "Praia de Copacabana" (Copacabana Beach), in its more than 4km. of extension, that had 45 streets, 01 avenue, 2 slopes and 02 tunnels.

In the administration of the Mayor Paulo de Frontin is inaugurated the Matriz Nossa Senhora de Copacabana (Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Mother Church) and Santa Rosa de Lima, at the place where was the Chapel Nosso Senhor do Bomfim (nowadays Serzedelo Corrêa Square). In the same year, in July 22nd, 1919, was inaugurated the new Atlântica Avenue, with a duplicated street and lights separating them, what made the beach even more beautiful. At that time appeared the first buildings of Copacabana and the new Leme Fortification (nowadays Duque de Caxias Fortification).

Three years latter in 5 july 1922 the "18 do Forte" (18 of the Fortification) crossed the Atlântica Avenue marching against 4.000 soldiers of the government. The mutineers intended to make a retaliation because of the warrant of arrest of the Marshal Hermes da Fonseca ordered by the President Epitácio Pessoa.

In the beginning, they were 301 mutineers, in the middle, 29 and at the end there were only 19, where 18 of them were militaries, most of them were lieutenants, that’s why the term "tenentismo". Only Eduardo Gomes and Siqueira Campos survived the last shooting.

In September, 1923, was inaugurated at Atlântica Avenue, the Copacabana Palace Hotel, considered the most sumptuous building of South America and one of the most beautiful of the world. The Hotel became a place of meeting of the "carioca" high-society and, because of this the lands in the neighborhood increased the value.

At the space near the Atlântica Avenue and Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Avenue, near the Lido square were built the first buildings, a representation of a modern and elegant district.

The "art-déco" style appeared in the city and was immediately introduced in Copacabana and it exists until today, where it is presented in a more expressive way in this buildings:

Edifício Itaóca (Rua Duvivier, 43),
Edifícios Tuyuti, América e Caxias (Rua Ministro Vieiros de Castro, 100, 110 e 116),
Edifícios Ophir e Guahy (Rua Ronald de Carvalho, 154 e 181).

The famous residents started to appear. The family of the Journalist Mário Rodrigues, father of Nelson Rodrigues, at that time, at age 12, moved to near Inhangá, in 1924, moving two years later to a spectacular palace at the corner of the streets Joaquim Nabuco and Raul Pompéia. The succeeding death of na eight months daughter, a murdered son and the father Mario, maybe displeasure, pushed the family to the North Zone. In the works of the chronicler and playwright, the South Zone would be always a filial of Hell. The Palace pained with a haunted fame until being destroyed in 1960.

Copacabana was still an almost desert area, but there was a great meeting place. In 1905, the house of Afrânio de Melo Franco at Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Avenue used to join the intellectuals of that time, to conferences choose of candidates and international politics too. Since of the government of Venceslau Brás (1914), the house of Mello Franco used to receive all the important politicians.

During the temporary government of the President Delfim Moreira (1918), the government used the house as a shelter. The campaign for the election of Artur Bernardes (1922) to the presidency and the fight behind the scene developed in its rooms. Political episodes before the choice of Getúlio Vargas (1930) as the candidate of "Aliança Liberal", took place there too.

Copacabana Copacabana was Politic for decades, because many names that helped making the History of Brazil chose the district to live:

Presidents
• Eurico Gaspar Dutra
• João Fernando Campos Café Filho
• Carlos Coimbra da Luz
• Nereu de Oliveira Ramos
• Juscelino Kubitscheck de Oliveira
• João Belcjior Marques Goulart
• Ranieri Mazzili
• Emílio Garraztazu Médici
• Tancredo de Almeida Neves

Marta Rocha was elected Miss Brazil, in 1954. Born in Bahia, won the 2nd place as Miss Universe because of two inches more on her hips. Nowadays, still very pretty even over 60,with three sons and six grandsons, Marta Rocha is one of the famous residents of Copacabana and says that to keep her fitness, she has two secrets: walk on the sidewalks of Atlântica Avenue and drink the coconut water.

Copacabana´s History

Part I

Part II