Photo of the Day: Way back when

Post by Discovering São Paulo.

The story behind René Burri’s iconic photo of São Paulo

Everyone has seen this picture before. Well, almost everyone. René Burri's iconic photograph is perhaps the most famous photo of São Paulo.

Taken in 1960, at a time when São Paulo was on a rapid rise to become one of the world’s most important industrialised cities, the black and white photograph’s timing and composition perfectly captures the both the moment and the historical period.

Burri was born in Switzerland in 1933 where he learned to play with his father’s camera. By the time he was 20, Burri was already a trained photographer of the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts and began documenting life as a cadet during his two years in military service.

Only after this did he have some contact with formal photography studios and starting his own projects. Before long he was published in French magazine Science & Vie and embarked on a trip to Paris to personally show his work to Magnum Photos.

David Seymour co-founder of Magnum was so impressed that he made Burri an associate member of the agency and arranged further assignments for him.

He soon began shooting in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America including Brazil. And it was while photographing in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1960, that Burri worked on an assignment for German magazine Praline and captured one of his most iconic images. The shot is of four shadowy businessmen walking on the rooftop of a skyscraper amid a smoke filled background, tens of stories above the busy streets below. It was a stunning, dramatical image that announced the metropolis of São Paulo's to the outside world.

Besides being iconic, the photograph has historical importance too in that it was a tipping point in Burri`s career. He shot it using an 18mm lens despite Magnum members only being allowed to shoot from 35mm to 90mm. Henri Cartier-Bresson, who had mentored Burri for many years and insisted on not using lenses below 35mm, was kept at a distance after this shot and Burri followed his own path into photography`s history books.

Burri in 2010 at the age of 81

He argued in favour of new and different photographic styles and continues to do so to this day. "Everybody now has a cell phone and can take snaps, which is great - even children," he says. "But my advice for young photographers is to go and cover things that nobody else is thinking about. Put your nose into things. Use the third eye of the camera and don't be completely dependent on Photoshop or the way other people want you to cast the world."

In Pictures: 125 years of Avenida Paulista

From a rough track with a solitary tree marking its beginning to one of the biggest, busiest, noisiest and tallest avenues on the continent, this is the story of Avenida Paulista.

1891 - Avenida Paulista is inaugurated

Its conception goes back to the 19^th century and the need for housing onn the perimeter of the city. Central areas such as Praça Republica and Campos Elísios, which today are run down and undesirable, were hot in demand and expensive to live in.  And so an avenue was constructed around which rich as well as humble housing could be built. The official name was Avendia das Acácias but the engineer in charge of the project, a certain Joaquim Eugênio de Lima, baptised it Avenida Paulista in honour of the Paulistas. The name stuck.

In 1898 it underwent refurbishment. Pavements were created and four rows of trees were built along the avenue, two on each side.

Avenida Pualista 1902

Avenida Paulista 1902

In 1909 it had the honour of being the first street in São Paulo to be upgraded to asphalt.

A car show on Avenida Paulista in 1928

At the end of the 1920s the name of the avenue was changed to Avenida Carlos de Campos for political reasons. However, the public outcry was such that Avenida Paulista was immediately readopted.

Avenida Paulista 1935

Until 1950 it continued to be a residencial area but slowly the increased business needs of the greater city began drawing commerce towards Avenida Paulista.

Luxury villas belonging to coffee barons and rich immigrants on Avenida Paulista in 1956

Then in the 1960s and 1970s a dramatic change occurred as the law governing land usage became more lenient and a housing boom led to a host of 30 storey high buildings being built in quick succession.

Avenida Paulista in 1970

It now serves as an artery to other avenues such as Dr. Arnaldo, Rebouças, 9 de Julho, Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, 23 de Maio and Angélica. Despite the invasion of big business Avenida Paulista is still home to an extraordinary number of residents. Due to its length and height, if it were a city it would have over 200,000 inhabitants and be among the 150 biggest cities in the country comparable to Praia Grande or Boa Vista.

Avenida Paulista today

Organised crime in SP; The ethics of the PCC and why they are here to stay

Graham Denyer Willis wrote an interesting article for the Boston Review this week.

In it he provides an insight into some of the organisational structure of the Primeiro Comando do Capital (PCC), the largest organised crime gang in the country and the one which controls the city and much of the state of São Paulo. Willis invested considerable time shadowing police officers in São Paulo and was granted access to internal PCC documents which are occasionally found when a member is detained or houses/vehicles are searched.

There are a number of interesting observations, some of which are real eye openers to those unfamiliar with the highly structured way the PCC maintains a firm background presence in the city.

Carandiru prison

The first point made is that ironically the PCC, like many other criminal organisations, was born out of the state’s inadequacies. That doesn’t mean that the state police was not hard enough on criminal gangs. To the contrary, the seed was in the lack of basic provisions supplied to prisoners, the lack of care and the violation of human rights most notably in the Carandiru massacre which was the direct reason for the formation of the PCC. By failing to provide a minimum standards of public care, São Paulo gave an opportunity for the creation of an organisation which was willing to fulfil this role.

Having developed at pace since Carandiru, the range of “services” provided by the PCC to its members (known as “brothers”) is astonishing. It includes, but is not limited to, free transport for family prison visits, legal aid provided by a team of standby lawyers, the covering of all funeral costs in the event of the death of a brother, banking services through an internal cash loan service and perhaps most worrying of all an weapons bank for the temporary loan of a pistol or a machine gun.

The PCC has a gun loaning service

However, these services come with certain obligations. One of the standout characteristics of organised mafias and gangs is their strict moral codes and the  PCC is no exception. Rules exist over repayment of loans, which types of guns are permitted for certain types of needs, when murder is allowed (it must be pre-authorised by the leadership) and when it isn’t (the PCC does not allow children to be killed, for example) and they are strictly enforced. Therefore ethics as well as behaviour is dictated and there are spreadsheets which track all member activity in detail.

As Denyer Willis puts it, under the PCC rule “crime is at once a practice, an occupation, and an identity”. This serves to fuel loyalty but also to bind together a group which stretches far and wide across the country and depends on working collectively from both inside prison and out. The existence of principles also justifies its existence and is self-reinforcing in the face of what is perceived as a corrupt and often unjust public police force and justice system.

In a previous post we saw that one of the reasons for the dramatic drop in homicide rates in São Paulo is the PCC’s impact in the poorer suburbs and, as the PCC are “at least as concerned with safety and security as they are with making money”, it would seem difficult to imagine their dissolution or loss of power, in the near future.

Read the full article here on the Boston Review

Classic São Paulo police cars from times gone by

In São Paulo you are never far from the wail of a police siren or the sight of a police vehicle. Patrol cars are part of the urban wallpaper but whilst they have always been highly visible they’ve changed a lot over the years.

Here’s a look back at some of the most famous (and infamous) police cars of recent history.

1976

The bright orange and black colours seen here on a 1976 Corcel is synonymous with dictatorship era policing. Older Brazilians will remember this vividly.

1986

The Fusca, popularly known as the “Baratinha” or little cockroach, is possibly the best known police car of all times. It was used widely across the city of São Paulo from the 60s right through to the 80s  and was an instantly recognisable design classic. The 1986 model was one of the latest editions and already ran on ethanol fuel, an innovative feature  at the time.

1988

The Veraneio is probably the police vehicle most associated with the dictatorship era. Used by the Rota, the special forces of the São Paulo Military Police. During the repression era, the 5 metre long, 2 tonne truck was often deployed with no colours or outward symbols although few civilians were under any illusions as to what the 4 plain clothes men inside were really up to.

Opala

Another iconic car was the Chevrolet Opala, seen on the streets of São Paulo in the late 80s.

1998

In more modern times the Ipanema 1.8 or 2.0 litre station wagon was widely used.

For anyone interested you can see these cars and more at the Military Police Musem in São Paulo.

A brief history of São Paulo

São Paulo in its early days

São Paulo is a city of immigrants, that much we all know. However, a lot of people, even those actually living in the city, don’t know too much about its foundation and how it came to be what it is today. So here’s a quick rundown on the history of São Paulo. It’s not comprehensive but, if a tourist during the world cup asks you for some historical information, it should get you out of trouble.

I know it sounds boring but it’s actually quite interesting:

Pre-São Paulo

How Ramalho may have looked like

We actually know the name of the first European to hit up on Sampa, a certain João Ramalho. Mr Ramalho was actually a shipwrecked sailor and that was not much around at the time so we can say that São Paulo did not have the most promising of starts. However human occupation as such was founded in a more formal way by Jesuit Missionaries, which is pretty much how most other Brazilian cities were founded.

16^th Century

The original name back in 1554 was quite cool: São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga. It was essentially a mission to convert Guainás natives to Catholicism and was chosen for being between the ocean, potential farmlands inland and on the intersection of the Tietê river.

17^th Century

Bandeirantes - not very nice people

Initially São Paulo’s main claim to fame was being a sort of headquarters for the bandeirantes, who were ruthless slavemasters, murderers and rapists but thanks to their expanision of Brazilian borders they are now preferred to be considered explorers and heroes (hence the memorial near the Ibirapuera park). 

Brazil sometimes feels lawless nowadays but back then it really was, so the bandeirantes pretty much took what they wanted, be it precious stones or native people, mostly by brute force. You have probably already heard of the Rapôso Tavares highway. Well, that’s named after Antonio Rapôso Tavares, one of the most savage Bandeirantes who would even steal and burn down Jesuit missions. Nice.

18^th Century

After that São Paulo became a gateway to the gold which was being discovered in Minas Gerais. The 17^th century gold boom led to investment sugarcane plantations drawing more wealth to São Paulo. In 1711 it got city status so we can say that São Paulo was officially “born”.

19^th Century

A new drug is discovered

São Paulo soon became the commercial centre of a commodity crop, introduced in the previous century; Coffee. This was in many ways the turning point. Coffee became so huge foreign immigrants had to be imported mainly out of work Italians, Germans and Greeks.  

After that a second wave of immigrants joined the party: Japanese, Arabs, Chinese and Koreans. Slavery was abolished in 1888, but the city still needed workers and a large Jewish population sprung up. The city’s importance was clear and it was in fact here in São Paulo, that Brazil was declared independent in 1822

20^th Century

Coffee was no longer booming but many other industries were already taking its place so it didn't matter too much. São Paulo was already the richest city and state in the country. Railroads were built to connect it to other cities, more immigrants piled in, this time from within the country as well as from abroad. This is when lots of low skilled workers from the North East came to grab a share of the riches, or at least try to.

Industrialisation kicked in under the Juscelino Kubitschek administration (yep, he got a street named after him too). And São Paulo continued to grow uncontrollably in almost all senses: population, wealth and influence.

21^st Century

And so we ended up with this

Well, as you know, it is now the country (and arguably the continent’s) defacto capital of both art and commerce, the powerhouse of the Brazilian economy as well as the most multicultural city in the land. 

Oh and it’s the biggest city in Latin America, bigger than Mexico City by a couple million inhabitants.

So there you go. That’s São Paulo’s history in a nutshell; A shipwreck, Jesuits, Bandeirantes, Gold, Coffee, Cars and Immigration, lots of it.

Watch 200 years of São Paulo urbanisation in 30 seconds

Not that long ago, São Paulo was a small outpost for trade and communications. Have you ever wondered how it became the megalopolis it is today and which parts grew first?

Wait no longer. The NYU Stern urbanisation Project has mapped out urban land expansion by year form 1880 to the turn of the 21st century. The resulting animation adopts a beautiful coloured ink format, each splash of colour corresponding to a different period of urbanisation.

São Paulo, shows subdued growth in the late nineteenth century followed by small expansions in the early years of last century. Then, in the 1930s, the centro region saw a sudden spurt of growth and 20 years later the incessant and massive spread of the city hit full speed, continuing to present day.

When you observe the final picture you can spot the darker colours relating to the oldest parts of the city and the lighter colours where recent construction has developed.

The data is from the Atlas of Urban Expansion, published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Why Biscoito Globo is originally from São Paulo not Rio de Janeiro

Don't tell the Cariocas but the much loved, iconic and super famous Biscoito Globo is actually originally from São Paulo.

It's a little known fact but the story goes like this. Back in 1953 three brothers from a São Paulo family left their parental home after a bitter separation and went to live with their cousin in the Ipiranga neighbourhood. Milton, Jaime and João Ponce's cousin owned a local bakery so amongst other recipes they learned to make biscoitos de polvilho (manioc starch flour biscuits).

A year later in 1954 Rio de Janeiro hosted a large religious gathering and, sensing an opportunity, the Ponce brothers decided to travel to Rio to sell biscoitos in the capital of the neighbouring state.

They were a huge success. So much so, that the Ponces decided to move to Rio where they were "discovered" by the Globo bakery in Botafogo. And the rest, as they say, is history.

There are now two variants, the traditional savoury one and the sweet one distinguished by the colour of the packaging (green for savoury and red for sweet) so as to help non-literate street sellers tell the difference. And to this day 150,000 Biscoito Globos are churned out on a daily basis and every single one of them still comes from a single factory in Rio.

The first biscoito, however, came from São Paulo..

Vintage photos of São Paulo in black and white

Below are a selection of  black of white photos depicting São Paulo in times gone by.

It certainly looks a different place form modern day Sampa!

Anhangabau in the 1930s 

Hotel Esplanada 1950s 

Rua Augusta 1960s

Serra Negra 1925 

Theatro Municipal

Hildegard Rosenthal's photos of São Paulo

Hildegard Rosenthal was born in Zürich, Switzerland and brought up in Germany but she escaped to Brazil before the outbreak of World War II. Nowadays she is considered one of the pioneers of photojournalism in Brazil where she lived and worked as a photographer until her death in 1990.

Below are some of her photos which offer us a glimpse of mid 20th Century São Paulo:

Rua 25 Março, São Paulo

Largo da Sé and Cathedral under construction, São Paulo

Brazilia Japanese children eating ice creams

A street in São Paulo 

São Paulo's Coat of Arms explained

São Paulo's Coat of Arrns

Most readers are probably familiar with São Paulo's Coat of Arms but why does it take this form and what does each part represent? Here is a quick explanation.

Starting at the top we have a crown of eight towers, five of them visible. This is the symbolic representation of a state capital, São Paulo being the capital city of the state of São Paulo.

In the centre we have a warrior's right arm, flag in hand. The flag carries a depiction of the old Christian cross as worn by Portuguese sailors.

The green sprigs of leaves on either side are from the coffee plant, highlighting São Paulo's debt to the coffee industry.

And then of course you have the famous latin motto: Non Ducor Duco which translates as I am not led, I lead.

So there you have it in a nutshell; status, faith, coffee and leadership.

Vintage photos of São Paulo from the 1960s

Below is a selection of postcards from the 1960s which illustrate just how the city of São Paulo has changed in just 50 years. Amongst other things it gives us an insight as to why Jardins is called Jardins (gardens) and why the airport runways at Congonhas airport are so short.

São Paulo 1960s

Jardins, São Paulo 1960s

Pacaembú, São Paulo 1960s

Largo do Arouche, São Paulo 1960s

Praça da Sé, São Paulo 1960s

Congonhas airport, São Paulo 1960s

Vintage video of São Paulo in 1954

Here is some more archive footage of São Paulo. Again there is some propaganda behind it and this time it is a little more recent, from the year 1954:

Probably the most surprising part of this video is that the city looks pretty much the same as it does now..

See also: Vintage video of São Paulo from 1943

Cute words in Portuguese Part 5

An alternative way of saying “where is” in Portuguese is “cadê?” It’s used as an equivalent to “what’s up” as well as in “cadê você”?

I learnt this relatively late. It confused me at first because it is not intuitive and doesn’t have a twin word in other Latin languages. So where does it come from?

Nobody really knows. One theory is that it is derived from “Que e de” – literally “what is of”. So “que e de sua mae” would be “what is of your mother” and this over time would have become “Cadê sua mae” i.e. where is your mother:

“Que e de sua mae?"

"Quede sua mae?"

"Cadê sua mãe”


The other somewhat less plausible theory is that there has somehow been some Slavic influence in Brazilian Portuguese as the word “where” as in “where is” is very similar to “cadê” in various Eastern European languages:

Bulgarian: къде (pronounced: [kâ`dé])
Polish: gdzie (pronounced: [gdjé])
Russian: где (pronounced: [gd(i)e])
Czech: kde (pronounced: [gdé])

This does seem more of a coincidence than a theory as there would surely be other Slavic influences in the language. Plus, there has been no significant immigration between these two areas of the world.

Either way it’s become one of my favourite words!

More cute words in Portuguese here:

The São Paulo state flag explained; what each element means

São Paulo state flag

The São Paulo state flag is actually a national flag reject (hence the pictorial representation of the country not the state). It was supposed to serve as the Republican flag in 1889 but a rival design, which is similar to the current Brazilian flag, was eventually chosen. The paulista flag then laid dormant until it was adopted by the state of São Paulo in 1946 by which time the prohibition of state symbols and flags had been lifted.

Although when proposed as a national flag the colours black, white and red were supposed to reflect the racial diversity of the country; European (white), African (black) and Indigeneous (red), as state flag the elements have the following meaning:

The 13 black and white stripes:  The nights (black) and days (white) during which the bandeirantes fought for the state.

[ASIDE: The word bandeirantes derives from the portuguese word bandeira or flag. They are the guys who, organising themselves through a system of identifying flags, basically fought, robbed and enslaved indigeneous peoples despite being themselves descendents or partially descendent of indigenous tribes. So, although they were essentially land pirates and have a deservedly bad name elsewhere in South America, in Brazil and in São Paulo in particular they are revered for setting out from São Paulo de Piratininga (now São Paulo) and contributing to making Brazil stretch out way beyond the dividing lines the Portuguese and the Spanish had formally agreed. True heroes..]

The red triangle represents the blood spilt by the bandeirantes in their exploits

The colour blue is supposed to reflect the strength and vigour which was given to the state (and presumably country) by the bandeirantes.

And finally the 4 stars are supposed to be the four major stars of the constellation of the Southern Cross (Cruzeiro do Sul) under which Brazil, and therefore São Paulo, lies.