In search for Valongo Wharf, Rio de Janeiro, 19th century

Abstract

This article presents the results of archaeological research carried out in the Port Zone of Rio de Janeiro, as part of the infrastructural and urban revival projects being implemented in the region by the Rio de Janeiro City Council for the 2016 Olympics. Its basic objective was to localize the remains of the Valongo Wharf, built in 1811 by the Intendência Geral de Polícia, at the order of the Prince Regent Dom João VI. Adjacent to the slave market, hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through the wharf on the way to being sold, making Rio de Janeiro the main port of entry for these captives in the Americas. The research also identified the remains of the Empress's Wharf, built later, in 1843, on top of the Valongo Wharf, especially for disembarkation of the Princess of the Two Sicilies, Teresa Cristina Maria de Bourbon, on the occasion of her marriage to Emperor Dom Pedro II. The article describes the methodology employed - a challenge given the need to reconcile a scientific study with the tight schedule of the construction work - as well as the slow emergence of the built structures, the stratigraphic contexts, the interpretation of what was found, and the urban transformations that resulted from the findings. Given the considerable historical, social and political relevance of the Valongo Wharf, in September 2015 the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Iphan) sent UNESCO a dossier for inclusion of the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site on the list of World Heritage sites, presently under evaluation.