santa marta, also referred to as dona marta, is situated on the outskirts of the botafogo region and is home to around 6,000 residents - the land was home to st. ignatius college until the 1920s when poor families and farmers migrated and settled largely from the paraíba valley after the coffee crisis of 1929.

between 1983 and 2008, the government made extensive investments in the community, developing a cable car and instigating social programs to improve the quality of life of residents - in 2008, it played a historically significant role as the very first community to be pacified.

it is one of the communities which has most successfully instigated a wide array of social development programs - there is now free wi-fi for all residents, a family healthcare program, microcredit initiatives and vocational training courses.

the name of the community originates from a statue of the virgin mary which is held in a chapel at the peak of the hill, thought to have been brought to the community by a resident in the early years of the 20th century.