at a glance

the portuguese settlers found the area inhabited by tupinambás indians, who referred to the contructions of the settlers as 'kara'i oca', meaning 'white house' or 'house of the white man' - the terms that later became 'carioca'.

the river carioca has been one of the most important elements for the development and growth of the city. for many years it was its main source of drinking water and great efforts were invetsted into making this resource available.

this eventually meant diverting the waters in order to bring it to where it was most needed. the earlier attempts were faced with several problems, from the limited carrying capacity of the primitive tubing to sabotage from indigenous people and escaped slaves. in truth, the methods put in place, albeit inexpensive, were simply too fragile to properly supply rio de janeiro, and more sophisticated means of carrying water where eventually considered.