in the past, this part of rio was an important producer of sugarcane - by the 18th century, there were several private farms and mansions established and the district started to house a significant number of inhabitants. the 20th century would bring even greater changes to catumbi, as the city grew and the area became increasingly urbanized.

during the second half of the century the focus of the social elites shifted towards the beach-fronts of the south zone, and thus the demographic of the central neighborhoods changed over time. as a result,  lower income population seeking less expensive housing, were able to affort accommodation on the hillsides of catumbi.