Morro do Ouro

High above the Guanabara Bay, Morro do Ouro stands as a silent witness to Rio de Janeiro’s turbulent past. Morro do Ouro, or “Gold Hill”, isn’t directly tied to the gold rush that swept through Brazil in the 18th century, as its name might suggest. Its story is intertwined with another vanished landmark, Morro do Castelo. Imagine the year is 1922. Rio de Janeiro is buzzing, preparing to celebrate a century of independence with a grand World Expo. But this celebration came at a cost. Morro do Castelo, a historic hill in the heart of the city, was deemed an obstacle to progress, a “decaying tooth” marring the city’s image. It was demolished, its earth used to create the exposition grounds. Thousands of residents, mostly poor and Black, were displaced. Many found refuge on the hillsides, contributing to the growth of favelas, including Morro do Ouro. The destruction of Morro do Castelo echoed the prevailing mindset of the time: a desire to erase the colonial past and create a “European” image for the nation. This “cleansing” disregarded the lives and homes of the city’s most vulnerable. Augusto Malta, Rio’s official photographer, captured the stark reality of this urban transformation. His images documented not only the demolition itself but also the displaced residents, their poverty laid bare for all to see. These photographs serve as a haunting reminder of the human cost of progress. Ironically, the mayor responsible for the demolition, Carlos Sampaio, was later accused of corruption, his “modernization” project leaving the city deeply in debt. Today, little remains of Morro do Castelo except for a small section of Ladeira da Misericórdia, a street that once climbed its slopes. The name “Castelo” still clings to the area, a ghost of the vanished hill. Morro do Ouro, overlooking the city, stands as a testament to the resilience of those displaced, a tangible link to a lost landscape. It reminds us that beneath the surface of every bustling city lies a tapestry of stories, some celebrated, others buried beneath the weight of progress.