In the 1960s MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) began to develop under the influence of prodigious figures such as Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso - a cultural movement, incensed in part by a profound distaste for the military dictatorship.

This wonderfully unique and impressive musical trajectory is documented by a number of institutions in the city. The Centro de Memória do Carnaval da Liesa (Center for the Memory of Carnival), located in Centro, organizes, classifies and assembles documents relating to the development of samba and carnival, including books, newspapers, videos, photos and paintings.