Rising above São João de Meriti is Morro do Amor. It’s more than just a hill. It is a place of community and history. Morro do Amor translates to Love Hill.
Morro do Amor is located in São João de Meriti. This is a municipality in Rio de Janeiro. The hill stands as a testament to the area’s vibrant culture. It shows the spirit of its people.
Wikimapia identifies Morro do Amor as a favela. Favelas are also called aglomerados subnormais. This term means subnormal cluster. It refers to informal settlements. These settlements often arise from land invasions.
The history of favelas in Rio de Janeiro is linked to the Canudos War. This war took place between 1896 and 1897. It involved the Brazilian Army and a religious community in Bahia.
After the war, soldiers returned to Rio. They did not receive their promised salaries. As a result, they settled on hills around the city. They built wooden houses. These houses were like the shrubs they saw in Bahia. These shrubs were called “favela”.
The first favela was Morro da Favela. The term “favela” became common in the 1920s. This was due to the types of housing on the hills. The government accepted these constructions. There was no money for better housing. The place became Morro da Providência.
Another factor in the growth of favelas was Mayor Pereira Passos’ reform. This happened after the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889. The reform aimed to end signs of the colonial period. Tenements were destroyed. These were buildings where many families lived in poor conditions.
People without homes moved to hills like Morro da Providência. Living near the city center meant they were close to work. Transportation did not reach the outer areas.
Until the late 18th century, hills were called African Neighborhoods. After slavery ended, ex-slaves faced inequality. They began to live on the hills.
Many hills in the south of the city were inhabited by the poor. They were close to the elite. Some hills near beaches were settled in 1907. Morro da Babilônia is an example. Communities appeared in Copacabana and Botafogo in 1912.
In 1927, French architect Alfred Agache proposed moving favela residents. This was due to social and aesthetic reasons. Some communities were removed.
In the 1930s, social housing was built. This was an option for the poor. These areas were far from the city center. People protested for improvements.
Until 1975, there were attempts to remove communities. After this plan stopped, no new policies were made. The communities were left out of public power plans. Drug trafficking and violence became major issues.
In 1990, the government decided to urbanize favelas instead of ending them. The term “subnormal agglomerate” was used in the 1991 census. This identified irregular settlements.
Rio de Janeiro has “slum complexes”. These are groups of close communities. There are 763 subnormal agglomerates in Rio. These communities are in rich and central areas. This shows social inequality.
In 2010, over 1.3 million people lived in Rio’s communities. Rio de Janeiro has the most people living in communities in Brazil. Across the country, over 10 million people live in these areas.
In 1993, Rio created the Favela-Bairro plan. Private companies worked to integrate communities. This included providing water, garbage collection, and lighting. The project took place in about 150 communities.
Today, efforts involve public authorities, companies, and NGOs. They aim to improve life in these communities. UN studies show that these areas are growing. They are expected to reach 1.4 billion people in 2020.
Morro do Amor is part of this story. It reflects the challenges and resilience of Rio’s favelas. As you stand here, remember the history. Think about the people who call this place home. Their story is one of struggle and hope.