[1] Beco do Batman is a popular tourist destination because of the dense concentration of graffiti that line the streets.

The nickname for the area is attributed to a graffito of the DC Comics character Batman which was painted on one of the walls in the 1980s.

[2] Local art students began filling the walls with other psychedelic and cubist influenced designs.

[1][3] Vila Madalena received thousands of tourists during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and there was a corresponding rise in reported incidents of robbery and assault in and around Beco do Batman during the period (2013–2014).

[4] The graffiti of Beco do Batman is now continually renovated and cared for by local community members.