Favela

Lore & Background

The term favela dates back to the late 1800s. Soldiers from the War of Canudos, in Bahia, were brought to Rio de Janeiro and left with no place to live. They had been familiar with Canudos' Morro da Favela, named after a skin-irritating tree (Cnidoscolus quercifolius). When they settled on Providência hill in Rio, they nicknamed it Favela hill. Most modern favelas appeared in the 1970s due to rural exodus. Census data from December 2011 showed that in 2010 about 6% of the Brazilian population lived in favelas; the 2022 Census indicated 12,348 favelas with 16,390,815 individuals, or 8.1% of the population.

In Their Own Story

The rain fell in sheets, turning the dirt paths of the Favela into rivers of mud. Max Payne moved through the narrow corridors of corrugated metal and concrete, his footsteps barely audible over the distant chatter of automatic weapons. A child's bicycle lay twisted in the gutter, its spokes bent like broken fingers. From a window above, a woman watched with hollow eyes, clutching a crucifix to her chest as if it could ward off the bullets. Max knew the Crachá Preto were close — their graffiti marked every wall, a crude signature of territory and terror. He chambered a round, the click lost in the thunder. Somewhere, a generator sputtered to life, and then the shooting started — a burst of muzzle flashes that painted the alley in strobes of death.

Reader's Guide

Favelas are located in 323 of the 5,565 Brazilian municipalities. Many of the more famous ones exist in Rio. Rocinha is the largest hill favela in Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil, and the second largest slum in Latin America. Rio's Santa Teresa neighborhood features favelas contrasted with more affluent houses. Vidigal favela is visible from Ipanema and Leblon beaches. Public policy towards favelas began in the late 19th century when soldiers were granted permission to settle on Providência hill. In the 1970s, Brazil's military dictatorship pioneered a favela eradication policy, moving many to public housing projects such as Cidade de Deus.

Did You Know?

• The term favela originally referred to a skin-irritating tree in the spurge family indigenous to Bahia.
• Some of the earliest favela settlements were called bairros africanos (African neighborhoods).
• By the 1980s, worries about eviction gave way to violence associated with the burgeoning drug trade.
• All favelas in Rio's South Zone and key favelas in the North Zone are now managed by Pacifying Police Units (UPPs).