Brasilia, Brazil

Brasília: from Utopia to the Capital and Political Arena of Brazil


Since the days of the Marquis of Pombal, there has been talk of transferring the capital to the interior. Today, the chimera city continues to look surreal but dictates the rules of Brazilian development.

The dry season of the Central Plateau is usually inclement with Brasília and the meteorology fulfilled its intentions.

The air had been hot and rough for some days now, almost devoid of moisture, mixed with a light dust that hurt the most sensitive throats.

“Let's go guys, with determination but respect…” an experienced “policeman” alerts over the loudspeaker.

When Demonstrations Take Over the Plateau

Not even the unbearable heat of mid-afternoon had deterred a mega-demonstration of the Federal Highway Police from forming at the appointed time, next to the city's exuberant cathedral.

We see the procession extending along the main avenues. And to linger on purpose at Praça dos Três Poderes, in front of the National Congress building, next to the Palácio do Planalto, where it was crucial that their demands for a career plan and more vacancies were heard.

Police demonstration, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Demonstration of the National Highway Police passes in front of the Planalto Palace.

Brazilians seek their way to Order and Progress. At the same time, another creative protest, this time by teachers, was taking place on the lawn adjacent to the National Congress.

To guard against more than a certain unavailability of politicians to receive them, those responsible had placed dozens of images of deputies on seats. And it was to that inanimate audience that they demanded a salary “floor”, a demand uttered by a representative of the class from a makeshift pulpit.

The costs of interiority in the capital and, in particular, of these expressions of democracy are high. Expenses with transport, food, infrastructure and others reach the order of 2, 3, 4 and even more millions of Reais.

Ministries, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Sequence of buildings in Brasília at sunset.

Despite being tiny compared to what was spent on the construction of Brasilia and the economic potential of Brazil, these numbers affect the promoting organizations that often disclose them to the press as an additional complaint.

The Historical Confines of the Brasilia Project

It was nothing that worried the government of the Marquis de Pombal too much when it considered, for the first time, transferring the capital of the Portuguese Empire to the less explored domains of the colony.

At that time, Brazil's easiest riches – gold and diamonds, instead of the immense present oil – came from the coast to the interior and it suited the Crown to exert the most comprehensive control of the territory as possible.

Installation with favelas, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

A work of art installed in Brasília, illustrates a basic type of housing that ended up surrounding the Brazilian capital

The idea was debated and disputed by several factions. Highlighting the Inconfidentes Mineiros. This group of rebels had been conjuring, for some time, a separatist revolt against the pour and other forms of implacable taxes that took to the metropolis part (1500 kg of gold annually) of the wealth accumulated by the wealthy population of Minas Gerais.

Ironically, his chosen place for the capital of the new republic was called São João d'El Rei. The plan was betrayed by a colonel who, in exchange, saw the debt he owed to the Crown forgiven.

In the same year of the French Revolution, the Inconfidentes were condemned in Rio de Janeiro and imprisoned. As a preventive example of new revolts. Tiradentes, the lowest-ranking conjuror, was hanged and quartered.

The willingness to relocate the capital has persisted throughout history, before and after Brazilian independence.

Sailors, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Group of sailors attend a military ceremony.

The Slow Start of the Capital in the Heart of Brazil

In 1891, this change was included in the republican constitution and, at the same time, an Exploratory Commission for the Central Plateau of Brazil was constituted.

Only much later, in 1960, would the desired new capital become a reality, made possible by the political determination of President Juscelino Kubitschek.

Juscelino Kubitshek II Monument ,Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Resident crosses the space of the Memorial to Juscelino Kubitschek

Urban planner Lúcio Costa and the architect Oscar Niemeyer received an almost white letter.

They created a city in such an unusual way that, when Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin visited it, he insisted on declaring: “I have the impression that I am disembarking on a different planet…”.

It's the same feeling we get as we walk along its wide avenues, between shapes created as a 60's vision of what a city in the distant future would be like.

A city that turned out to be the only one built in the XNUMXth century to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status.

Museum of the Republic, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

A passerby passes in front of the Museum of the Republic, another sui generis work by Niemeyer.

On the Margin of Urbanism and Architecture, the Humanized Life of Brasilia

Despite its appearance of an organic museum, Brasília quickly took on a contrasting life.

The Federal District welcomed migrants from all regions of Brazil and even from abroad in a much less harmonious way than expected.

In the proximity of the Monumental Axis, the different housing “wings” and the eccentric functional sectors of the city (amusements, culture, commerce, hotels, medical-hospital etc.), the population benefited from the jobs created by the state and those linked to them. It prospered.

Ministry of Environment, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Employee walks next to the Ministry of Environment and Culture building.

At the same time, the municipalities of Goiás on the periphery welcomed thousands of extra newcomers who were looking for alternatives to the poverty of the areas they had abandoned.

Brasília is on the way to the 3 million inhabitants. In social terms, it is considered the 4th most unbalanced city in Brazil and until recently, the 16th of the world.

The crime numbers come, as expected, to match.

Installation with favelas, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

A work of art installed in Brasília, illustrates a basic type of housing that ended up surrounding the Brazilian capital

Little or nothing affects the elitist cream of politicians who maintain their luxurious domicile in the capital, but fly whenever they can to the great historic metropolises of the coast – read São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro – where, politics on the sidelines, continues to unfold the “true” Brazilian life.

For the middle class, and even more for the poor, Brasília is the city to deal with.

Installation with favelas, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

A work of art installed in Brasília, illustrates a basic type of housing that ended up surrounding the Brazilian capital

Driver Seu Zé and Brazil's So Wealthy Reality

A full-time taxi driver, Mr. Zé is more upset with the plague of demonstrations than with the “birds” (that's what he calls them), the speed cameras that the authorities have hidden in several trees on the avenue. Whenever you can, accelerate.

“These guys are still going to ruin the end of the day for me. I have to take my son to training on time, you know how the famous Brazilian paitrocínio is…” As there's no politician in the family, we try to get by with football, right? ”

Both the complaint and the ambition are old, but Seu Zé admits: “at least in international news, Brazil has only been showing for some time. You know … it has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is predicted to become one of the top five within the next few decades…”

Itamaraty Palace Staircase, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil

Employee heads towards the exit of the Itamaraty Palace.

The driver also ends up accepting that the hyper-modern, almost luxurious van in which he works can be considered a result of this new prosperity. However, at the time of the last revision of this text, April 2020, Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil was experiencing a period of social and economic crisis aggravated by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Inside the taxi, we lost track of time. Meanwhile the crowd of protesters had demobilized. When we least expect it, the sun starts to set. Paint an orange sky wall that appears to close off the city to the west.

There is another one of the famous exuberant sunsets in Brasília. A rival twilight follows.

The following morning, several new demonstrations were planned and, who knows, one or another scandal of the ones that give more meaning to the nation's newspapers.

One of the buildings of the architect Oscar Niemeyer that make up Praça dos Três Poderes.

Deputies and senators will occupy their seats in the chamber of the National Congress.

As it has done since the 70s, through its decisions, for better and for worse, Brasília would decide the future of Brazil.

Antenna de Brasilia marks the center of a gaudy twilight that takes over the capital.

Passo do Lontra, Miranda, Brazil

The Flooded Brazil of Passo do Lontra

We are on the western edge of Mato Grosso do Sul but bush, on these sides, is something else. In an extension of almost 200.000 km2, the Brazil it appears partially submerged, by rivers, streams, lakes and other waters dispersed in vast alluvial plains. Not even the panting heat of the dry season drains the life and biodiversity of Pantanal places and farms like the one that welcomed us on the banks of the Miranda River.
manaus, Brazil

The Jumps and Starts of the former World Rubber Capital

From 1879 to 1912, only the Amazon River basin generated the latex that, from one moment to another, the world needed and, out of nowhere, Manaus became one of the most advanced cities on the face of the Earth. But an English explorer took the tree to Southeast Asia and ruined pioneer production. Manaus once again proved its elasticity. It is the largest city in the Amazon and the seventh in Brazil.
Curitiba, Brazil

The High-Quality Life of Curitiba

It is not only the altitude of almost 1000 meters at which the city is located. Cosmopolitan and multicultural, the capital of Paraná has a quality of life and human development rating that make it a unique case in Brazil.
Sheets of Bahia, Brazil

The Swampy Freedom of Quilombo do Remanso

Runaway slaves have survived for centuries around a wetland in Chapada Diamantina. Today, the quilombo of Remanso is a symbol of their union and resistance, but also of the exclusion to which they were voted.
Perth, Australia

the lonely city

More 2000km away from a worthy counterpart, Perth is considered the most remote city on the face of the Earth. Despite being isolated between the Indian Ocean and the vast Outback, few people complain.
Goiás Velho, Brazil

A Gold Rush Legacy

Two centuries after the heyday of prospecting, lost in time and in the vastness of the Central Plateau, Goiás esteems its admirable colonial architecture, the surprising wealth that remains to be discovered there.
Singapore

The Island of Success and Monotony

Accustomed to planning and winning, Singapore seduces and recruits ambitious people from all over the world. At the same time, it seems to bore to death some of its most creative inhabitants.
Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil

Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant: Watt Fever

In 1974, thousands of Brazilians and Paraguayans flocked to the construction zone of the then largest dam in the world. 30 years after completion, Itaipu generates 90% of Paraguay's energy and 20% of Brazil's.
Masai Mara Reservation, Masai Land Travel, Kenya, Masai Convivial
Safari
Masai Mara, Kenya

A Journey Through the Masai Lands

The Mara savannah became famous for the confrontation between millions of herbivores and their predators. But, in a reckless communion with wildlife, it is the Masai humans who stand out there.
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
A Lost and Found City
Architecture & Design
Machu Picchu, Peru

The City Lost in the Mystery of the Incas

As we wander around Machu Picchu, we find meaning in the most accepted explanations for its foundation and abandonment. But whenever the complex is closed, the ruins are left to their enigmas.
Salto Angel, Rio that falls from the sky, Angel Falls, PN Canaima, Venezuela
Adventure
PN Canaima, Venezuela

Kerepakupai, Salto Angel: The River that Falls from Heaven

In 1937, Jimmy Angel landed a light aircraft on a plateau lost in the Venezuelan jungle. The American adventurer did not find gold but he conquered the baptism of the longest waterfall on the face of the Earth
Ceremonies and Festivities
Look-alikes, Actors and Extras

Make-believe stars

They are the protagonists of events or are street entrepreneurs. They embody unavoidable characters, represent social classes or epochs. Even miles from Hollywood, without them, the world would be more dull.
Saint George, Grenada, Antilles, houses
Cities
Saint George, Granada

A Caribbean History Detonation

The peculiar Saint George spreads along the slope of an inactive volcano and around a U-shaped cove. Its abundant and undulating houses attest to the wealth generated over the centuries on the island of Grenada, of which it is the capital.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
Meal
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
Tiredness in shades of green
Culture
Suzdal, Russia

The Suzdal Cucumber Celebrations

With summer and warm weather, the Russian city of Suzdal relaxes from its ancient religious orthodoxy. The old town is also famous for having the best cucumbers in the nation. When July arrives, it turns the newly harvested into a real festival.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Aswan, Egypt, Nile River meets Black Africa, Elephantine Island
Traveling
Aswan, Egypt

Where the Nile Welcomes the Black Africa

1200km upstream of its delta, the Nile is no longer navigable. The last of the great Egyptian cities marks the fusion between Arab and Nubian territory. Since its origins in Lake Victoria, the river has given life to countless African peoples with dark complexions.
Dunes of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique
Ethnic
bazaruto, Mozambique

The Inverted Mirage of Mozambique

Just 30km off the East African coast, an unlikely but imposing erg rises out of the translucent sea. Bazaruto it houses landscapes and people who have lived apart for a long time. Whoever lands on this lush, sandy island soon finds himself in a storm of awe.
View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Exotic Signs of Life

USS Arizona, Pearl Harbour, Hawaii
History
pearl harbor, Hawaii

The Day Japan Went Too Far

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor military base. Today, parts of Hawaii look like Japanese colonies but the US will never forget the outrage.
Solovetsky, Islands, Archipelago, Russia, Autumn, UAZ, Autumn road
Islands
Bolshoi Solovetsky, Russia

A Celebration of the Russian Autumn of Life

At the edge of the Arctic Ocean, in mid-September, the boreal foliage glows golden. Welcomed by generous cicerones, we praise the new human times of Bolshoi Solovetsky, famous for having hosted the first of the Soviet Gulag prison camps.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Winter White
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Nature
Valdez, Alaska

On the Black Gold Route

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker caused a massive environmental disaster. The vessel stopped plying the seas, but the victim city that gave it its name continues on the path of crude oil from the Arctic Ocean.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Geothermal, Iceland Heat, Ice Land, Geothermal, Blue Lagoon
Natural Parks
Iceland

The Geothermal Coziness of the Ice Island

Most visitors value Iceland's volcanic scenery for its beauty. Icelanders also draw from them heat and energy crucial to the life they lead to the Arctic gates.
Engravings, Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt
UNESCO World Heritage
luxor, Egypt

From Luxor to Thebes: Journey to Ancient Egypt

Thebes was raised as the new supreme capital of the Egyptian Empire, the seat of Amon, the God of Gods. Modern Luxor inherited the Temple of Karnak and its sumptuousness. Between one and the other flow the sacred Nile and millennia of dazzling history.
Couple visiting Mikhaylovskoe, village where writer Alexander Pushkin had a home
Characters
Saint Petersburg e Mikhaylovkoe, Russia

The Writer Who Succumbed to His Own Plot

Alexander Pushkin is hailed by many as the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. But Pushkin also dictated an almost tragicomic epilogue to his prolific life.
Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives
Beaches
Maldives

Cruise the Maldives, among Islands and Atolls

Brought from Fiji to sail in the Maldives, Princess Yasawa has adapted well to new seas. As a rule, a day or two of itinerary is enough for the genuineness and delight of life on board to surface.
Young people walk the main street in Chame, Nepal
Religion
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
On Rails
On Rails

Train Travel: The World Best on Rails

No way to travel is as repetitive and enriching as going on rails. Climb aboard these disparate carriages and trains and enjoy the best scenery in the world on Rails.
aggie gray, Samoa, South Pacific, Marlon Brando Fale
Society
Apia, Western Samoa

The Host of the South Pacific

She sold burguês to GI's in World War II and opened a hotel that hosted Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper. Aggie Gray passed away in 2. Her legacy lives on in the South Pacific.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Flock of flamingos, Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic
Wildlife
Oviedo Lagoon, Dominican Republic

The (very alive) Dominican Republic Dead Sea

The hypersalinity of the Laguna de Oviedo fluctuates depending on evaporation and water supplied by rain and the flow coming from the neighboring mountain range of Bahoruco. The natives of the region estimate that, as a rule, it has three times the level of sea salt. There, we discover prolific colonies of flamingos and iguanas, among many other species that make up one of the most exuberant ecosystems on the island of Hispaniola.
Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, the Queen of Extreme Sports

In the century. XVIII, the Kiwi government proclaimed a mining village on the South Island "fit for a queen".Today's extreme scenery and activities reinforce the majestic status of ever-challenging Queenstown.