The Agência Brasil has prepared a super cool report to celebrate the national holiday celebrated this Saturday, September 7, the Independence of Brazil. In it, you’ll discover the points of the capital that tell a little about this episode that changed the course of the country in 1822.
After all, it was on the banks of the Ipiranga stream, 202 years ago, on September 7, that Dom Pedro I declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal. Brazil then became a monarchy and Dom Pedro I became emperor.
Check out the details of this story below.
Table Of Contents
“Independence or Death”
The “cry” of independence, proclaimed by Dom Pedro I in the Ipiranga region, was portrayed in an idealized way in the immense painting ‘Independência ou Morte’, by Pedro Américo. Today, you can see it in the Salão Nobre of the Ipiranga Museum.
However, despite illustrating several textbooks, the famous painting helped create the myth that Brazil’s Independence occurred in isolation, on a single day. But it didn’t happen as quickly or immediately as you might think.
After all, according to historians, Dom Pedro I was in Santos, on his way to São Paulo. When he passed through the Ipiranga region, which was the middle of the crossing to the center of the capital, he made the famous declaration of separation.
Natália Godinho da Silva, a historian at the City Museum’s Public Training and Development Center, told Agência Brasil:
He was coming from Santos. He was making a trip through São Paulo to try to get political support. He was making a trip to calm tempers.”
Appease tempers because Brazil, at that time, was going through a crisis, full of conflicts and revolts. “We have an idea that there was no war for independence. And that’s not true. Bahia, Pará, Maranhão: we had several provinces that rebelled against Portugal. Although we didn’t have a unified war, in general we weren’t that peaceful either,” he added.
The story of Brazil’s independence is not easy to explain and it doesn’t end with books or Pedro Américo’s painting. But some of São Paulo’s tourist attractions help us to understand a little more about this episode.
The relationship between São Paulo and Brazil’s Independence
Independence Park
The Parque da Independência is an emblematic site in São Paulo, as it was on its banks that Dom Pedro I proclaimed Brazil’s independence on September 7, 1822. This park is home to several monuments and museums celebrating this historic milestone.
📍 Av. Nazaré, s/n – Ipiranga
Paulista Museum and the painting Independence or Death
The Museu Paulista, also known as the Ipiranga Museum, is one of Brazil’s main historical museums, located on the same site as the cry for independence, and houses the famous painting ‘Independência ou Morte’, by Pedro Américo, which, despite not being a faithful representation of the events, has become an icon of Brazilian nationalism.
📍Rua dos Patriotas, 20 – Ipiranga
Independence Monument
The Independence Monument, located in the park, was inaugurated in 1922 to celebrate the centenary of independence. It contains sculptures representing important moments in Brazilian history and houses the Imperial Crypt.
📍Praça do Monumento, s/n – Ipiranga
Imperial Crypt
Cripta Imperial, located under the monument, is a mausoleum that strengthens the historical significance of the park and the monument by housing the remains of Dom Pedro I and his wives, reinforcing the symbolism of the place as the birthplace of the nation.
📍Monument Square, s/n – Ipiranga
Casa do Grito
The Casa do Grito, although it has no direct historical evidence of the independence event, is a wattle and daub building that symbolizes the simplicity of the time and is linked to the popular narrative of the Ipiranga cry, making it an important tourist attraction
📍Praça do Monumento, s/n – Ipiranga
Solar da Marquesa
The Solar da Marquesa de Santos, located in the center of São Paulo, is an example of 18th century urban housing and is associated with the Marquesa de Santos, an influential figure of the time, providing a connection with the social and cultural history of the independence period
📍Rua Roberto Simonsen, 136 – Historic Center of São Paulo
