The region was first occupied in colonial times by planting herbs surrounding the Catumbi River. To the ancient Indians who lived there, Catumbi meant shaded river, or river flowing among the foliage. From the plantations of the colonial times emerged the neighborhood that borders Santa Teresa, Estácio and Rio Comprido. Later in the 19th century, it became a haven for the nobility, being mentioned a few times by the writer Machado de Assis in works such as The Posthumous Memoirs of Braz Cubas.
The landscape of Catumbi began to change after some landfills and the establishment of two architectural landmarks of the city of Rio in this region: the first open air cemetery (São Francisco de Paula) and the House of Correction, the first jail in Brazil. In the 20th century, the neighborhood was drastically changed to facilitate road access to the city with the construction of tunnel Santa Bárbara and the opening of the tunnel that led to Henrique Valadares Ave. Even with the massive expropriation of property and the occupation of the surrounding hills, some of the neighborhood’s streets still keep the tranquility of the old days.
The oldest jail in Brazil was erected in 1850 with the name of the Court House of Correction, which has transformed itself over 150 years in eight pavilions – where famous personalities have been incarcerated, such as Graciliano Ramos, Luís Carlos Prestes, Olga Benário, Mario lago and Nise da Silveira. Deactivated since 2006, it was imploded in 2010 and a housing complex was built in its grounds.
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz
It was opened in 1984 to replace the assemble-disassemble of the iron bleachers for the parade of samba schools in Rio. Designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, it became a milestone for the division of the parade in two nights and its transition to a show focused on TV broadcast. Its name was changed to "Passarela do Samba" and then to "Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro". Popularly, it is best known as "Sambódromo" which was a term coined by Darcy himself.
Image Credits: www.rioviaje.com.br
The Saletinos established a sanctuary in Catumbi, where they founded a parish on April 14, 1914, under the title of Nossa Senhora das Dores da Salette. Its facade is marked by the Gothic style, with internal and external flower arches. With the help of the parish, the 1st association of residents of Rio was formed there, in the 60s, in an effort to stop the expropriation that devastated two thirds of the neighborhood at this time.
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz
São Francisco de Paula was the first open air cemetery destined to non-indigents, in order to put an end to the medieval habit of burials inside the churches. It was the final destination of most of the important names in Brazilian history of the nineteenth century. Among the personalities who were buried there, it’s worth mentioning Ataulfo Alves, Ismael Silva, Wilson Batista, Catulo da Paixão Cearense, Teófilo Ottoni, Duque de Caxias, Baronesa de Sorocaba, Marques de Olinda and Visconde de Mauá.
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz
Formerly called Catumbi-Laranjeiras, the tunnel was built to connect Botafogo and Presidente Vargas Ave. The works that had begun in 1947 and were only completed in 1963, having suffered several mishaps, including a landslide that killed workers. It used to have a tile panel, painted by the artist Djanira, dedicated to Saint Barbara – which has now been restored and sits at the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Image Credits: André Gomes de Melo
Two fountains erected in order to channel the waters of Rio Comprido are still standing in the neighborhood: The Lagarto, erected in 1786 on the hillside of Paula Matos, which caused a stir among the population who did not understand the choice of an "ugly and damned animal representing the figure of the devil". And the Catumbi, shaped as a tower just next to the Lizard, to increase the volume of water brought to Conde Street (now Frei Caneca St., across from the Military Police Battalion).
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz
The synagogue is part of the history of Rio Jews and the Jewish culture in the city. At the time of its construction in 1925, the region of Praça Onze was one of the largest strongholds of the community in Rio. It is not a cult temple and nowadays it opens to large Israeli celebrations such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as well as to tourist visits to the Jewish Museum.
Image Credits: www.morasha.com.br
It was Ismael Silva, a samba artist of the region, who coined the term Samba School and helped found the first school ever heard of, Deixa Falar, in 1928. The idea was that participants could dance and at the same time evolve to the rhythm of samba. It changed the way the carnival groups used to parade. Samba distanced itself from maxixe and got closer to a march. At that time, Catumbi was already a traditional stronghold where Bafo de Onça, Vai-Quem-Quer, the Zapatas and União dos Caçadores confronted themselves. It served as an inspiration for the emergence of the parade of samba schools. The first championship took place officially in 1932, and, from then on, the small associations got bigger and bigger, parading through other avenues until they settled in the place where the Sambódromo was erected, in 1984.
The neighborhood where Pixinguinha was born, Jorge Ben was raised and Ataulfo Alves and Ismael Silva were sheltered, was also home to Moreira da Silva until he was 98 years old. Best known as Kid Morengueira, Moreira used malandragem as personal marketing and cherished the style called breque, introducing spoken verses in the middle of the samba. That was in the 30s, long before North-American versions of rap and hip-hop.
A liquor store that sells meat and dairy products in the neighborhood. It is a kind of deli, and has been in the market for over 10 years.
Address: 71, Rua do Catumbi - Catumbi
Phone: (21) 2273-5223
Image Credits: Google Street View
Founded in 1989, the African group originated at the Mineira slum in Catumbi. It stands out in the municipal circuit of artistic manifestations of black origin and parades in Rio’s carnival. It also conducts contests and presentations on the samba school group from Estácio de Sá. Its rehearsals are at the headquarters of Rio’s Afro Federation of groups in Lapa.
Address: 206-208, Salvador de Sá, Ave.(quadra da GRES Estácio de Sá) - Catumbi
Phone: (21) 2215-6935
Website: tinyurl.com/afrocultural
Image Credits: Joyce Enzler
Headquarters and studio of the collective Filé de Peixe (Fish Fillet), the group organizes urban interventions to poetically (re) signal the neighborhood of Catumbi, according to its artistic and cultural history. It also offers workshops, lectures and photography courses.
Address: 17 (back) Valença St. - Catumbi
Phone: (21) 99456-8149
Website: www.coletivofiledepeixe.com
Image Credits: Coletivo Filé de Peixe
The appetizers factory with recipes brought from Buenos Aires was settled in Catumbi by the chef and owner of the brand, Daniel Santiago, who resells his empanadas for more than 100 famous restaurants in town.
Address: Rua Itapirú, 1480 - Catumbi
Phone: (21) 2504-0700
Image Credits: www.donsantiago.com.br
