in the 1940's, the brazilian economic crisis caused people from the city to move into the area, and in  in the 50's, a wave of migrating workers from northeastern brazil settled in rocinha. 

in the 60's and the 70's, the construction of the tunnels rebouças and dois irmãos provided more  logistical integration into the city and facilitated employment for residents of the community.

this marked the beginning of rocinha's journey towards development and formal inclusion in city planning.  following these ever more pressing demands by the population of the area, in the 70's and 80's, the city administration provided the basic infrastructure demanded by a now substantial population.