Santa Marta, also referred to as Dona Marta, is situated on the outskirts of the Botafogo neighborhood and is home to around 6,000 residents. The land was home to St. Ignatius College until the 1920s when underprivileged families and farmers migrated and settled largely from the Paraíba Valley after the coffee crisis of 1929.

Between 1983 and 2008, the government made extensive investments in the community, developing a cable car and instigating social programs to improve the quality of life of residents. In 2008, it played a historically significant role as the very first community to be pacified. Santa Marta is one of the communities which has most successfully instigated a wide array of social development programs - there is now free wifi for all residents, a Family Healthcare Program, microcredit initiatives and vocational training courses.