at a glance

like most of the city, the area was considerably different when the portuguese arrived, being mostly covered in forests and mangrove -  the colonizers used the region for farming and other economic activities.

in the 18th century, the zona norte was used to cultivate sugar cane, fruits and vegetables - supplying the rest of the city via land and water, spurring the development of neighborhoods such as anchieta, pavuna, and madureira.

later the great farms of the area started to become smaller but it would be in the beginning of the 19th century, with the arrival of the portuguese royal family, that the whole region would start to deeply transform.