The neighborhood is known as the birthplace of samba, mainly because of the presence of the samba schools Portela and Império Serrano. The history of the neighborhood is related to the establishment of Rio’s suburb along the old railway axis, inaugurated by D. Pedro II. Originally a rural area , it was part of Fazenda do Campinho, leased to a cowboy called Lourenço Madureira, who, , held ownership of the property until his death in 1851 The neighborhood has acquired its name in a homage to the cowboy’s last name. , Anyway, what is Madureira, today? It’s the land of samba, for sure, due to the two historical giant samba schools that have their headquarters in this neighborhood, adorning and coloring its streets in blue, green and white. But Madureira is also the land of charm and balls at the underpass, the oldest in the city. Madureira is carioca, where one goes rollerblading and skateboarding in the park and enjoys a baile funk at night, it is shopping at Mercadão and walking by the train. Madureira is an icon of carioca’s suburbs. Does it have problems? Many, and solutions should always be demanded, but we should never fail to be proud of Madureira, not ever.
Address:Avenida Min. Edgard Romero 239.
Website: http://www.mercadaodemadureira.com
This park is a wide, open area for sports and leisure and represents the outcome of the modernization and urban reform of the neighborhood of Madureira, begun in 2012, focusing on enhancing the commercial center of the suburbs . There are modern skateboard parks that make up the second largest complex in the country, sports courts, stage and arena for concerts, kiosks and the ‘square of knowledge’, which offers courses and internet access.
Image Credits: Bia Sartorio/Rolé Carioca
Seen as a piece of Madureira, in 1972, Portela is definitely settled in the neighborhood, having invested in the constuction the “Portelão” its new and definitive headquarters, at the then Arruda Câmara Street, number 81 (later to be called Clara Nunes Street).
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
The installation of Madureira’s railway station occurred in 1890 by the Central do Brazil, and its name is another tribute to Lourenço Madureira. It’s worth pointing out that, before the construction of this station, the locals used Cascadura station for train transportation, about 1.2 km away.
Image Credits: Bia Sartorio/Rolé Carioca
The underpass Negrão de Lima was built in 1960 . At the time, it was the largest one in the county. Because of the outstanding status of samba in this area, it became a meeting point for block rehearsals and samba circles. In 1990, it staged the history of the largest charm ball in Brazil.
Address: Viaduto Prefeito Negrão de Lima.
Website: http://viadutodemadureira.com.br/
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
The samba school was born in the late 40s, after a dissent among members of the school Prazer da Serrinha. It has launched composers such as Arlindo Cruz and Beto Sem Braço, and it innovated when Dona Yvonne Lara was the first woman to join the wing of composers of a samba school.
Image credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
The origins of the so-called "Mercadão" date back to 1914, in the period of the Old Republic, , when the Madureira Market was inaugurated, as a site for trade of agricultural products. It changed its headquarters in 1916 and underwent an expansion in 1929. Today it is considered the most popular market in Brazil, which is why one cannot take it for a camelódromo.
Address: Avenida Min. Edgard Romero 239.
Website: http://www.mercadaodemadureira.com
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
The group preserves the African rhythm that is considered a precursor of samba with socio-cultural work in the community Serrinha, in Madureira and carries out sporadic performances in the city's concert halls. Check out the full agenda at
Website: http://jongodaserrinha.org/
Image Credits: mapadecultura.rj.gov.br
Originally a rural area, Madureira was part of Fazenda do Campinho, leased to a cowboy called Lourenço Madureira, who, , held ownership of the property until his death in 1851. The neighborhood has acquired its name in a homage to the cowboy’s last name.
The neighborhood has already been sung in verse and prose by various interpreters of Brazilian popular music, having become famous in the voice of Clara Nunes, Arlindo Cruz, Paulinho da Viola and Zeca Pagodinho. It also served as inspiration for the fictional Divino, a neighborhood of the soap opera “Avenida Brazil”, one of the greatest recent successes of national television.
Traditional samba school of the city, Portela is affectionately called “The Majesty of Samba” and makes up, together with Deixa Falar and Mangueira, the founding triad of Rio's Carnival. It was officially created in 1923 from a Carnival group of Oswaldo Cruz. Its name comes from the colonial period, when the neighborhood of Irajá was occupied by sugar mills, among which, Portela – situated between Fazenda do Campinho and Rio das Pedras – at the site known today as Madureira.
Negrão de Lima, who was mayor, chancellor and governor for the city of Rio, was very close to samba and was responsible for getting US authorities more acquainted with Rio’s musical scene. He organized a presentation of Portela for the Duchess of Kent in the Itamaraty Palace besides leading a delegation with the US Ambassador and the Walt Disney filmmaker to the samba school, at the site currently occupied by the headquarters of Portelinha. Nowadays, the underpass at the neighborhood-birthplace of the blue and white school is named after him.
Traditional samba school of the city, Portela is affectionately called “The Majesty of Samba” and makes up, together with Deixa Falar and Mangueira, the founding triad of Rio's Carnival. It was officially created in 1923 from a Carnival group of Oswaldo Cruz. Its name comes from the colonial period, when the neighborhood of Irajá was occupied by sugar mills, among which, Portela – situated between Fazenda do Campinho and Rio das Pedras – at the site known today as Madureira.
Madureira Esporte Clube was the first team in the world to play ball in Cuba after the socialist revolution of 1959, being welcomed by the Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara, who had great appreciation for soccer.
In its 93 thousand square meters, the park is one of the largest in the city, with an area equivalent to 14 Maracanã fields. It's not only huge in size, but also in the amount of leisure options to residents of the north zone. Volleyball, basketball and soccer courts, plus a synthetic grass field for soccer matches share space with fountains, streams, gazebos, skate parks, an orchard and playgrounds. Once in a while , it hosts concerts, plays and other cultural attractions.
Address: 115, Soares Caldeira St. - Madureira
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ParquedeMadureira/
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
Baile Charme do Viaduto de Madureira
In the 90s, Charm rhythm came along with the funk balls and ended up establishing itself on Madureira underpass, thus becoming its point of reference. With a loyal audience, the dances that take place there are not only sought after by those who want to listen to R&B and its variations, but also by dancers vying for space on the dance floor.
Address: Espaço Cultural Rio Charme – Carvalho de Souza St., s/nº (below the underpass Negrão de Lima) - Madureira
Every Saturday at 10pm | Tickets R$ 5 to R$ 10
Website: www.facebook.com/viadutomadureira
Image Credits: blackwomenofbrazil.co
As a popular market, it offers diversity in its products. Highlights for: the Herbal Mercadão, with over 30 stalls selling plants and medicinal herbs; the Massambaba Bazaar, which became known as a Penguin store, displaying about 50 different models in porcelain to decorate the refrigerator; and Aluap Pipas, specializing in kites, selling them ready made and also material for their fabrication.
Address: 239, Ministro Edgard Romero Ave. - Madureira
Phone: 3355-9044
Opening Hours: from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to7pm / Sundays and Holidays, from 7am to noon.
Website: www.mercadaodemadureira.com
Image Credits: Thiago Diniz/Rolé Carioca
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