rio de janeiro is home to a colorful and fascinating history. the region known as brazil was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous populations, who by some accounts reached the americas from asia, by land across alaska or by sea along the pacific. these semi-nomadic tribes lived as migrant hunters-gatherers, and never developed written records or monumental architecture, therefore not much is known about their history.

named tupi-guarani, these amerindians lived of hunting and fishing in the rio area, and while there is little detailed information available about their history prior to the arrival of the portuguese, their importance to the establishment of the city is well documented. in particular, it was an alliance between the portuguese and the tupi that resulted in the final defeat and expulsion of the french incursions from the area, a pivotal point in the history of rio.