Praça XV de Novembro - The historical center of Rio

Downtown Rio is a maddening mixture of old and new. It is incredibly rich in historical sites, buildings, churches and monuments, it used to be the political and administrative capital of Brazil and still preserves many institutions and buildings, it is also the business center of Rio de Janeiro with enormous modern skyscrapers, and during the week the traffic is crazy and the crowds in the streets seem neverending. Still I love it! There is always so much going on culture wise, and always new or old details to discover.

Praça XV, the former Largo do Carmo, is the very gateway, this was the harbor where it all began. It still is where the ferries from Niteroi, Ilha do Governador and Paquetá come in, but landfill and road construction has removed the square itself from the sea. This can be seen easily at the Chafariz de Mestre Valentim, it used to be right where the boats anchored and had steps so that people could get up and down, nowadays the steps lead strangely nowhere.

Considered a masterpiece, the fountain was constructed between 1779 and 1789 by Valentim da Fonseca e Silva or Mestre Valentim, the son of a Portuguese noble and an African slave, one of the great artists of colonial Brazil. The small pyramid shaped tower and the area around was restored in 1990.

Close by, on the same Praça XV, is the Paço Imperial or The Imperial Palace. It was built in 1743 to be the Palace of the Governor, later it became the residence of the Viceroy, but when King João VI arrived fleeing from Portugal in 1808 it became the Royal Pallace. In 1822 Brazil became an independent nation as The Empire of Brazil and the palace was renamed once more to The Imperial Palace.It was restored in 1980 and is now a cultural center with a bookstore, a restaurant and art exhibitions.

And after seeing the wonderful exhibition of the Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes - Meu Bem - that was where my walk ended yesterday.