Brazilian Culture: History and Meaning of the Brazilian Flag
The Brazilian flag has gone through many iterations. Since Brazil was an empire (1822 – 1889), the flag has consisted of a green field, with a yellow diamond in the middle (only this previous version had a coat of arms in the center). By 1889, when Brazil became a republic, the flag changed along with […]
Brazilian Culture & History: When Ipanema had a Pier
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In 1968, the government of the then-State of Guanabara made plans to build a pipeline in Rio, to have sewage taken out into the ocean, far away from the coastline. As part of the process, they had to build a pier on Posto 9 in Ipanema. Its construction made for the best waves in all of Rio, because it created an artificial sea floor and because all the pillars on either side had steel plates alongside them, preventing sand from crossing from one side of the pier to the other. Both factors made for great surfing.
Brazilian History under a new light
I recently got my hands on a really interesting book that was a best-seller in Brazil a few years ago. Translating the title for you, it’s called The Politically Incorrect Guide to Brazilian History, by Leandro Narloch (Amazon). While it covers many aspects of Brazil’s history and places them in a new light, the author is a trained journalist, not a historian. Nonetheless, it’s an engaging read (though you’ll need a good level of Portuguese to read it).
The Brazilian Spice Trade
(exotic fruits, etc, from the Amazon)
In the 15th century, Europeans were trying to find a route to India in order to take part in the valuable spice trade. By the 16th century, though, the Americas had already been discovered and, with it, a way to secure other kinds of exotic items. The Portuguese exploration of the mighty Amazon region opened up a whole new area of trade with what became known as “drogas do sertão”, only they weren’t necessarily drugs and they weren’t exactly from the sertão (used today to refer to the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil).
The Slave Markets of Colonial Brazil
(What’s left of the actual pillory of Pelourinho in Salvador, source)
It’s well-known that after Brazil was discovered, an extremely high number of African slaves (three million between the 16th and 19th centuries, to be more exact) were brought here via tumbeiros, or slave ships. It was only in 1888 that Princess Isabel signed the The Golden Law, a very succinct ruling that ended slavery and for which the document itself only consisted of two statements. The first basically said, “From this date onwards, slavery is abolished” and the second said something to the effect of, “Anything to the contrary is now void.”
Diving Into the Rio Carioca
Rising at the base of Corcovado in the neighborhood of Cosme Velho and emptying into Guaranabara Bay from the Praia de Flamengo, the Rio Carioca has a history that parallels that of the city. As a freshwater river, the Rio Carioca quenched the thirst of the Indians, French, Flemish, Portuguese and Brazilians, all the while becoming a strategic point of interest as well as the setting of much discord.
