Rio de Janeiro History

Rio de Janeiro was explorer for first time on January 20, 1502 by the Portuguese explorer "Gaspar de Lemos" whose expedition saw for first time the "Guanabara" Bay. The legend says that the sailors mistook the entrance to the bay to the mouth of a river. Therefore, the city was named Rio de Janeiro (River of January). Nevertheless, experts reject this story; because the experienced sailors often don't commit mistakes like that. Experts believe, that time every body of water was named river. This explication is more logic than the popular story about Rio de Janeiro’s name.

Before European explorers, the Guanabara Bay was inhabited by local natives (some had anthropophagic rituals); they started to trade with the Portuguese and other European like French and Germans. One of the first products that interested to the European was the “Pau- Brasil”, a native wood whose red wood was used to dye fabrics during XVI century.

The pau-brasil attracted many European nations mainly France. A great number of French ships visited often this zone to try to establish commercial relations with the natives. In 1555 the French naval officer "Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon"  founded the first official European settlement in the Guanabara Bay and it was named “France Antartique”, but this Calvinists settlement was dissolved a few time  later, since Portuguese decided to expel the French. Villegaignon left in 1557 after several disputes both Portuguese and his own colonists.

After this fact on March 1, 1565,  the Portuguese knight Estacio de Sá founded officially the city with the name of  “Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro 20” in honor to Saint Sebastian whose holiday is celebrated on  January 20.

After its foundation the city was often attacked by pirates from Netherlands and France. Originally the first site of the city was at the Sugar Loaf slopes, but later it was moved at top of a hill to improve city’s defense, the new location was named “Morro do Castelo” (Castle Hill).

One of the first economical activities in Rio de Janeiro was the sugarcane farming, which is until today one of the main economical activities in Brazil. The farming lands were worked mainly bay African slaves and local natives who were exploited by Europeans. The growing of the city started around 1690, when it was discovered gold in Minas Gerais a Mediterranean and neighboring state; then Rio de Janeiro became the natural port to transport the gold to Europe. Nevertheless, this suddenly prosperity generated the greed of the French, who attacked the city in 1710 and 1711.

Thanks to the gold of Minas Gerais, Rio’s importance was growing until 1763 when the Portuguese crown decided to move the colonial administration in America from Salvador de Bahia to Rio de Janeiro; in that moment the city had 50 000 inhabitants. Since 1770 , coffee plantations became one of the most important economical activities in Rio and Brazil. The Rio’s importance reach suddenly its peak in 1808 when all Portuguese royal family headed by Dom Joao VI (king of Portugal) and the aristocrats from Lisbon  arrived to Rio de Janeiro fleeing, after the French invasion in Portugal leaded by Napoleon. This fact transformed Rio de Janeiro in the one capital of a European Kingdom outside Europe and increases the city’s population from 50 000 to 65 000 inhabitants in one year. That time was a golden period; since Dom Joao VI ordered to built many important landmarks in the city like the Botanical Garden, the Royal Library or the Royal School of Sciences, Arts and Crafts.

In 1822 the prince Pedro I, son of Joao VI declared the independence of Brazil and  proclaimed Rio de Janeiro as the capital of the new empire. Nevertheless, the Pedro I government was not successful and Brazil only recovered its stability in the reign of Pedro II; during his government the city received several improvements like gas lights, telephone and telegram systems and the built of the railways to Minas Gerais and towards Petropolis.

The first "favelas" (poor neighborhood) of the city were born in 1888 when the African slaves were released by the princess Isabel. This fact marked the end of the coffee plantations in Rio de Janeiro, since these plantations depended almost totally of the slaves.

In 1889, when the Republic was declared in Brazil, Rio had lost part of its political and economical importance, while other cities like Sao Paolo and Minas Gerais growing rapidly. But, Rio de Janeiro recovered its site in the political and economical life of Brazil in 1940s, when the local industry grew supported by the World War II; during this time several naval, steel and oil plants were opened in the city. Nevertheless, Rio lost definitely is position as the main city in Brazil in 1960 when the capital of the country was moved to Brasilia. Then Rio de Janeiro became part of the Guanabara   state and later in 1975, it became the capital of the Rio de Janeiro state.

Now Rio is still one of the most important and biggest cities in Brazil and Latin America. It is an important trade center with great enterprises like “Petrobras” or “Vale do Rio Doce” working in the city. Besides, it is also one of the main tourist centers in the World; since the city receives every year millions of tourists mainly in the famous carnival. Nevertheless, Rio de Janeiro is also a city with great social contrasts, which generate high rates of crime that made the favelas of Rio, one of the most dangerous places in the World.  But, Rio de Janeiro is above all the greatest symbol of the joyous and amazing lifestyle of the Brazilian people.

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