Historical Ruins in the Forest

The Tijuca National Park has approximately 116 archeological ruins from the coffee era. The ruins include plantation houses, slave quarters and farm houses.

In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Family moved to Brazil, due to the continental blockade determined by Napoleon Bonaparte to the nations that had frindships bonds with England, Rio de Janeiro was chosen as the city to receive the regent prince D. João and his servants.

Due to the fast growth after the arrival of the regent prince D. João in Rio de Janeiro, many europeans have chosen the lands in the highest mountains of the city to settle residence and scape from the warm. In use of slave labour, the lands'proprietors devasted an enormous area of native forest, where today is the national park, to plant coffee.

Extreme droughts in the city have made the imperial government to make efforts in order to protect the rivers and water sources.

The area was reforested once the farmlands were repossessed by the imperial government in the 1860’s. The Imperial government used eminent domain to remove all coffee plantations and start the great work of reforestation. More than 130 thousands trees have been planted. The vegetation grew up and spreaded all over and took the place of the coffee farms and other houses built there.

The remaining vestiges of these buildings we find today covered by the vegetation.

The park maintains many structures of its rich coffee history, including farm houses, slave quarters, warehouses, and others. The trails through the forest will disclose you some of the local history.