Favela da Rocinha is one of the largest favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The word ”favela” means ”shantytown” or ”slum”. Originally, it comes from a tree named favela that irritates the skin when touched. Rocinha is built on a steep hillside, surrounded by a forest, overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
The first favela was founded after the Canudos War in Bahia (1895-1896) when the government soldiers, who had lived among the favela trees, marched to Rio de Janeiro to wait for their payment as they were promised housing. The government, however, did not pay them so the soldiers settled on one of Rio’s hills and named it ”Morro da Favela” also known as Morro da Providência. After that, many favelas came to be. Today, there are over 1,000 of them in Rio.
Favela da Rocinha was the largest favela in Brazil until recently.
Rocinha was the largest favela with around 31,000 houses in Brazil but Sol Nascente surpassed it. The number of registered dwellings in Sol Nascente has been growing since 2010, and today there are more than 32,000 houses in it, according to the 2022 census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Although the exact number is not certain, it is estimated that there are around 180,000 or more people living in Rocinha, making it one of the most populous favelas in Brazil. The houses in Rocinha were built on top of each other due to lack of space and they can be nine, ten, or even eleven stories tall. It has a relatively good infrastructure compared to other favelas but still needs improvement.
