The stadium is named after José do Rego Maciel, who was Recife's mayor between 1952 and 1955.

The mayor José do Rego Maciel donated in 1955 a groundplot to Santa Cruz.

The inaugural match was played on June 4, 1972, when Santa Cruz beat an Amateur Brazil National team 1–0.

The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 90,200, set on March 23, 1994 when Brazil beat Argentina 2–0.

The Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney played 2 concerts at the stadium during On the Run Tour on April 21 & 22, 2012.