Favelas / Slums

The favelas, or shantytowns, of Rio de Janeiro are a case apart. For a long time, these needy communities suffered from the abandonment of the government and the rest of the population. Today, this reality is beginning to change, little by little. The favelas have attracted international attention and have also begun to be valued and respected in Brazil. The favelas have existed in Rio de Janeiro for over one hundred years. With diverse origins and histories, these constructions have been part of the city since the… Read more

Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho

Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho are neighboring favelas in Copacaban…
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Chapéu Mangueira and Babilônia

Chapéu Mangueira and Babilônia are favelas in the Leme neighborhood, i…
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Cidade de Deus (City of God)

Cidade de Deus originated as a housing development built by the governm…
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Complexo da Mangueira

Complexo da Mangueira is the third oldest favela in Rio de Janeiro. The c…
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Complexo da Maré

Complexo da Maré is a cluster of favelas and housing developments in the…
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Complexo do Alemão

Complexo do Alemão has about 300,000 inhabitants and is one of the most p…
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Complexo do Borel and Formiga

The Complexo do Borel is located in the Tijuca neighborhood. It compris…
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Jacarezinho

Jacarezinho is one of the most dangerous and poorest favelas of Rio de Ja…
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Ladeira dos Tabajaras and Morro dos Cabritos

The Ladeira dos Tabajaras and Morro dos Cabritos favelas are communiti…
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Morro da Providência

Morro da Providência is located in the Port area of Rio de Janeiro. The co…
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Parada de Lucas

Parada de Lucas is known for the violence generated between two rival cr…
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Rocinha

Rocinha is one of the largest favelas in Brazil, recognized internatio…
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Salgueiro

Salgueiro is known throughout Brazil for its samba school, Acadêmicos…
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Santa Marta

Santa Marta is the model of a pacified favela in Rio de Janeiro. Located i…
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Serrinha

Serrinha is in the Madureira neighborhood in the city’s North Zo…
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Tavares Bastos

Tavares Bastos is a favela located in the Catete neighborhood, in the ci…
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Vale Encantado

Vale Encantado is a favela  located on the edge of the Tijuca Forest, nea…
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Vidigal

Vidigal is one of the best located favelas in Rio. It is located between t…
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Vigário Geral

Partially as a result of the work developed by the Group AfroReggae, Vig…
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The origins of favelas

In general, favelas have emerged out of the need for survival of a certain population with limited resources. Without any other alternative, citizen began to build houses on uninhabited land. Communities grew very rapidly over the years, partially because of the government’s indifference. The development of Rio’s favelas is linked to the end of the slavery, in the late 19th century. Landless and unemployed, many of the freed slaves moved to Rio de Janeiro, at that time Brazil’s capital. The large number of families seeking housing and employment led to the informal occupation of areas that had little value, were difficult to access, and lacked urban infrastructure. With the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889, Rio’s administrators… Read more

Facts and Figures

60% of Rio de Janeiro’s new favelas are in the West Zone. Favelas in the North Zone occupy a greater portion of the city; more than one million people live in communities in this zone. Large favelas in Rio are prone to real estate speculation. The implementation of services inflated property prices. Apartments are now common in favelas. Many investors take advantage of irregularities to be able to build apartments and then sell or rent out the units. Rental price depends on the favela and the property. Monthly rental prices range from R$150 to R$ 500. In Rocinha, people line up to rent a house. Shacks in Read more

Favela vs. Asphalt

The people are the soul of the favela and the favela is the soul of Rio de Janeiro. Favelas are everywhere, in every district. They are in the heart of the metropolis, in the periphery, in every corner of the Marvelous City. The relationship between favelas and the asphalt (the term for the city’s official neighborhoods) has been changing for the course of the century that these communities have existed. The negligence of the State, which gave birth to the favela, is now changing. Today government is going into the large favelas and developing social and urbanization projects. The barriers to be broken between the favela and asphalt are not just issues of… Read more
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