at a glance

although today it is considered a prosperous city, this was not always the case. in the years that followed the portuguese discovery of the guanabara bay, in the early 16th century, the eastern shore remained largely ignored, both due to the lack of resources by the part of the colonizers and partly due to the general hostility of the local natives.

this would change when the french arrived and attempted to control parts of the bay. after a short confrontation the portuguese managed to expel their adversaries and convinced their newly found indigenous allies to occupy the overlooked side of guanabara in order to avoid further invasions.