according to tradition, brocoió was used as a prison for members of indigenous tribes who rebelled against their chiefs.

after the arrival of the portuguese, the island(s) became a production area for lime which, along with whale oil, functioned as the mortar crucial to construction during the colonial period.    

still during the colonial period, brocoió became an area where most african slaves arriving into rio de janeiro would be quarantined.

this gave origin to one of the many legends of paquetá - the legend of joão saudade.