at a glance

Rio da Prata is  a sub-neighborhood within the district of Bangu, located in the zona oeste (West Zone) of Rio de Janeiro. it was first occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1673 Manuel de Barcelos Domingos, one of Rio's first settlers, built a private chapel on the Fazenda Bangu, or 'Bangu Farm'.

The arrival of the Estrada Real de Santa Cruz, or 'Royal Road of the Holy Cross', helped develop the region, but significant occupation only took place in the last part of the 19th century, after the opening of the Ramal Ferroviário de Santa Cruz, or 'Holy Cross Railway Station'.