Ep. 39 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The second capital of the Portuguese Empire? Transport yourself to the Brazilian city of Rio, which for a short time served as the only European capital not even remotely close to Europe. Listen now to our 39th episode and discover more of the intriguing history and mysterious beauty of the city.
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Transcription:
*Intro music*
Hello and welcome to episode 39 of The Friday Take Five - The best five minute podcast for history and adventure. I’m the gosh darn host, Mark Moran, and with this podcast I’m aiming to scratch an itch for travel bugs and history lovers alike. Every week is a new opportunity for discovery. We’ll delve into a new place with a new story. If you walk away with a renewed appreciation for history, or a new travel destination added to the bucket list, then I’ve done my job. With that, let’s dive in… to our 39th episode.
*Transition music*
Well folks… We’re headed back to the Southern Hemisphere in episode 39. Today’s adventure takes us to another city I can’t wait to get to - Rio de Janeiro - Literally “River of January”.
Europeans first came across Guanabara Bay, the home of the now third most populous South American city, on January 1st of 1502. They mistook the bay for the mouth of a river, and the rest is history. Rio de Janeiro or Rio was born. If we’re getting technical, it should really be Baia de Janiero or Bay of January, but I guess Rio de Janeiro ended up being a pretty good name.
For a few hundred years after its founding, Rio operated as part of a larger Portuguese colony. The core function of the colony was to export sugar along with later precious stones and gold back to Europe. In the 1760s, Rio became the capital of the colony.
But wait… Here’s where the history gets real wild. In 1808, the Portuguese Royal family fled Portugal, terrified of an invasion led by Napoleon. The capital of the Portuguese KINGDOM was transferred from Lisbon to Rio. This became the first instance of a European capital on a… ahem… different continent completely.
Of course, Rio was not equipped to handle the influx of nobles. It went from a small colonial capital to the heart of the Empire virtually overnight. The solution implemented by the Portuguese nobility was to simply evict residents from the area to make room for the newcomers. Problem solved! Right?
Eventually, many of the nobility would return home in the early 1820s. Simple in, simple out. Unsurprisingly, discontent was brewing within the local population of what had become Brazil toward their Portuguese overlords.
Prince Pedro, hailing originally from Lisbon, had moved with his family to Rio in the early days, but after many left, he actually stayed behind, and he aligned himself with the local Brazilians, and then took advantage of the discontent.
In 1822, Pedro declared Independence of Brazil from the Portuguese crown, and decided to keep Rio as his capital. For more than 100 years after declaring Independence, Rio continued to serve as the capital of Brazil. Through changes in governmental structure and strife across the nation, the River of January would persist.
In 1960, the seat of government changed to Brasilia with a major push by politicians to build a massive new federal district.
Since then, though no longer the former capital of Brazil, Rio still holds crucial importance as a cultural and economic powerhouse for the country. Rio is the second largest generator of wealth for the country, and is becoming increasingly recognized with the hosting of the olympics in 2016 and the G20 summit planned to be in Rio in 2024.
Though perhaps more interesting to travel bugs like me are the incredible manmade and natural beauties the city has to offer. Some of the things topping my list are first, the incredible Christo Redentor statue of Christ standing 98 feet tall with arms stretched 92 feet wide over the city. Next, I’m dying to take a cable car to Sugar Loaf mountain, a granite and quartz monolith shooting out from the sea and overlooking the city. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t make it to some of the great Rio beaches. Arpoador and Ipanema are both beaches high on my list.
I can’t wait to make it to this Brazilian masterpiece of a city. I hope that as always, I’ve either helped you relive awesome memories of your own from Brazil, or that I’ve got you thinking of planning an adventure of your own to Rio. And hey, maybe I’ll see you there.
*Transition music*
Hey there! Thanks for taking a trip with us to a new destination in episode 39. If you haven’t already, be sure to give us a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and share this episode with a friend. Have your own stories about Rio, feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so follow us and DM us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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