Praça Onze

[1] Originally called Largo do Rocio Pequeno, it became one of the most cosmopolitan places in Rio de Janeiro in the early decades of the 20th century, as it housed newly landed immigrant families.

In 1854, with the construction and inauguration of the Gas Factory, the Viscount of Mauá recognized the need to channel the mangrove swamp, cleaning up the path to Guanabara Bay and providing a waterway system linking the suburbs to the city center.

At the time, with the decline of the slave system, Praça Onze de Junho became a popular destination for immigrants, due to the proximity to the port and the varied commerce.

[2] After slavery was abolished, large masses of former slaves settled in the precarious one-bedroom houses that existed in the streets adjacent to the Praça Onze de Junho.

One of these settlements was called Morro da Favela by soldiers returning from the Canudos War and originated the name of highly populated urban residential area of weak build quality in Brazil.

One of the important locations for the creation of samba was the house of Tia Ciata, a woman from Bahia who moved to Rio de Janeiro and used to cook snacks.

[8] In the 1930s, Rio de Janeiro City Hall planned modernization works for the region, including the construction of a new road to improve access from the center to the north.

[9][10][11] In 1944, Quatro Ases e Um Curinga paid homage to Rio de Janeiro in the song "O Samba não morre", which also mentions Praça Onze.

[12] In 1965, Chico Anysio and João Roberto Kelly composed the song "Rancho da Praça Onze", which portrays the cultural effervescence of the place.