at a glance

the earliest tea plantation in the city was in the royal nursery, which is today rio's botanical garden (jardim botânico), and was a very exclusive affair, with the tea strictly reserved for the royal family, and some of their close associates - other tea plantations were set up on the ilha do governador and in what today is the neighborhood of santa cruz. 

in the 1930s, the district underwent sanitation reform which allowed the land to prosper in agriculture. plots of land were sold to japanese and italian immigrants and santa cruz soon became known as rio's 'breadbasket.'

commerce and the santa cruz economy continue to flourish and the government is working to  improve sanitation and infrastructure in the nighborhood. bus routes, bike lanes and the supervia metrô line have all been extended into the district and these routes continue to develop.