As I have said before, I like maps and I also like Rio de Janeiro - so why not combine the two. I have good news and I have bad news, the bad news is that its not easy (at least if you are poor, and are not in Brazil) to get good maps of Rio. For the last 5 years I have tried, using the "BBBS" strategy (Buy, beg, borrow, steal). Possibly the best source is the US Library of Congress, and there is always Ebay. I buy maps in auctions, but the trouble is that other people, with more money than I, who also like antique maps of the "cidade maravilhosa". I have seen old street maps of Rio get 25-30 bids, which always drives up the price.
Just for your information - let me explain my connection to Rio de Janeiro. I lived there for about 12 years and my youngest kid is a carioca. I worked in the Castelo area, the hill on which the city was founded in 1567. Except the hill is gone. I worked right next to Santa Luzia church, which at one time in front of the bay ; but now it is almost a kilometer away. This will give you an idea of some of the changes that have happened in the urban geography of Rio de Janeiro in the last 300 years. I have spent hundreds of hours walking the old streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro. The maps on this page will show, in a very amateuristic manner, this evolution - both the good and the bad. NOTE: I buy maps of the city Rio de Janeiro (Compro mapas e plantas da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro!). Also, I would be grateful to receive detailed and interesting old maps and images of historic Rio de Janeiro. If you have any, send them to me. (Gostaria tambem de receber copias de plantas e fotografias do Rio antigo).
. (Traduzir esta pagina para o Português.)
Yes, we have bananas and maps, as you can see above. The good news is that there are lots of maps and charts of the City of Rio de Janeiro. The history of Rio de Janeiro is fascinating and it is well documented in manuscripts and maps, by the Portuguese, French, Dutch, English and, after Independence, by the Brazilian government and private individuals. I doubt that there is any other city in the Americas -- and I include even the very historic cities of Mexico and Lima -- which has as much detailed historical information from such a variety of sources, as does Rio de Janeiro. I would also like to add that Rio is much older than any American or Canadian city, being founded in 1567 even though it had been explored and occupied by Europeans even earlier.
For the purposes of this page, I am only concerned with the old, historic center of Rio. All maps focus on this area; a rectangle from the Morro da Conceiçao and port area to the Ilha das Cobras, down to the Ponto do Calabuço (or Calabouço) near Santa Luzia church, and back to the Lapa and Arcos area. This is a little over 3 square kilometers and it is the heart of Colonial and Imperial Rio de Janeiro. Anyway, below is a list of the maps and engravings I have found for the fair city of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, with some appropriate comments. The better or more interesting maps are marked with a small red star like this.
map1567f - Early map showing the Portuguese attaching French Antartica. Actually, the map is not bad - maybe a little too dramatic, but it does a great job in presenting the siege of the French Huguenot Protestants under the command of Villegagnon on the Island of Villegaignon by the Portuguese. It even got Sugarloaf right!
map1599d - Small engraving of Dutch fleet 'visiting' Rio. The Dutch thought the Portuguese were not taking their colony very seriously, and were ready to move in. In fact, they did occupy a great deal of land in the Northeast and North of Brazil for a generation. This image shows a visit from the Dutch fleet, dated 1599 Notice 'Rio Iavero' and Castelo Hill.
map1600r - A 1600 view of the entrance to "Rio Janeiro". Origin unknown, but obviously from the same source as the one above.
map1609m - Figure Du Port De Ganbara Au Brisil. Raremaps.com says this about this map: "Rare plan of Rio de Janeiro Harbour from Lescarbot's Histoire de la Nouvelle France. The map is almost certainly the earliest obtainable plan of the Harbor at Rio de Janeiro." They date this map (Figure Du Port De Ganbara Au Brisil) from 1608 and want almost $4000 for an original.
map1624r - Old engraving of Rio Genero from 1624. First to show details of the city and its churches and fortifications. It took about a hundred years to figure out that there wasn't any 'river' in the city of the River of January. It is kind of confusing!
map1650r - The Dutch again, showing "Cacrt van Rio de Ianeiro in Brasyl", from a Dutch engraving (Sec XVII). Notice Governor's Island. Not a bad representation!
map1666d - View of "French Antartica" (Rio de Janeiro) by du Val, from Giographie Ancienne. The French also wanted Rio, and twice occupied it, establishing the colony known as "Antartic France". Indian villages around Guanabara Bay are indicated on the map. The Tropic of Capricorn is wrong! It is really about 240 miles further South.
The above map was on Ebay and I gave up after $120. At the beginning of the year I promised I would not put any more maps on this site that weren't detailed (ie, everything readable). Even so, I still save maps such as this, as a record, hoping that one day I will be able to buy an original or get my hands on a high-resolution, detailed version of it.
map1700ss - This is the most common early map of Rio, from around 1700. There are several versions of it. It show the main points, as well as islands, fortifications and indian settlements. Notice "Acarioca", which became the name for the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro, and Pao de Sucar (Sugarloaf) with the "old city" (Cidade Velha) below it. The city of Rio was usually known as Sao Sebastiao, only. Rio de janeiro was used the term used to refer to Guanabara Bay, as shown in this map.
map1713m - Joao Masse's Planta da Cidade de Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, from the Portuguese government archives. Rio was pretty much limited to the area between what is now Av. Rio Branco and the bay, with Mosteiro de Sao bento on one side and Morro do Castelo on the other. Hummmm. Did Rio have a protective outer wall around it? (Item S on map). Rio was one of the few cities in the New World with a protective wall around it (also maybe Montreal, St Augustine, and Tucson). As far as I am concerned, this is the first real map of the traditional Rio de Janeiro.
map1714d - Duguay Trouin, French Pirate and the Plan de La Baye et de la Ville de Rio Janeiro (2000x1500). Fascinating story. A French Pirate and his fleet invaded Rio, pillaged the City and held it for ransom. I count 18 major ships, plus auxiliary vessels. The map shows the fleet blockading the Bay at Sugarloaf. Well, well, almost 300 years later and nothing has changed (I am talking about ransom, hostages and robbers). A rare copy of the volume appeared on Ebay (Dairy of a Corsair), with this map, and for about 10 seconds I was the high bidder. I lost it, outbid -- again. Notice that there were 27 bids for this map and plates.
map1750s and map1750s2 - By 1750 Rio had grown a little, but not much. Notice rural farm areas adjacent to the town. Herer are two versions of a classical 1750 map by Figueira (or Figueyra). I have a 19th Century version of this, but not detailed!
map1757L - Leveux's map of the fortifications in Guanabara Bay. Rio has (has) a lot of fortresses guarding the bay and town. I count 10 or 11. If you are in Rio and near Sugarloaf, go to the Praia Vermelha Military Base at the end of Urca and at the gate ask to see the old Fortress of Sao Joao. It is the easiest one to get to and it is very interesting. Rio was probably the best guarded city in all the Americas. It might have had something to do with the visit by Mr. Trouin.
map1764c - A rather primitive Spanish map (by Castro) of Guanabara Bay, highlighting the fortifications. Rio does appear to have been a walled city. Why is this never mentioned? Anyway I count 9 fortifications (plus 2 not finished) with a total of 230 cannon. The biggest one is Castelo with 60 cannons. A great map from the US Library of Congress, Map Division.
A word about the images... Some maps were scanned in their entirety, others are only partial views focusing on the historical central area of Rio de Janeiro. It is mainly a matter of space and bandwidth, not only for me but also for anybody that stumbles on this site. Last year I decided I would try only to show maps that were detailed and on which all writing is legible. Please note that on a very few maps some objects have been moved or altered, to make them more compact and to use less space. The preceding map is such a case.
map1769p - Planta da Cidade Ryo de Janeyro, Capital dos Estados do Brazil. I am not sure about this one. I have seen it both as undated and as 1769. This date may be wrong, however. In many ways (the wall and size of the city) it looks like this date, but in other ways it seems to be later (Casa da Moeda, trem and the use of the word 'Estados'), from around 1820-1830. I don't know. I have a 19th Century copy of this map. Note: I just received a better, clearer version of this map. It is 1769! Notice the details: the defensive city wall is still in this map, the public fountains are noted (Xafarizes), as well as the first representation of the Arches (Arcos des Carioca). There is even an indication that the Boquerao Lagoon or inlet (Lagoa da Boqueirao) is still present, where soon the Passeio Publico (public gardins) would be built. This is a wonderful map! I have a page about the evolution of Rio over 440 years, with an animated graphical image showing the many changes. Here is the link: 
map1769 - Planta da Cidade Ryo de Janeyro, again - but different!. There is another map also prepared by Roscio at the same time. Well, it is not technically a map, but a project. He worked on a project on how Rio de Janeiro should be fortified (como pode ser fortificada). This was, of course, to avoid another visit by the likes of the pirate Duguay Trouin and because of Rio's new status as Capital of Brazil (since 1763). I have had this diagram for a while, and on a slow day I decided to colorize and clean up the map. Here you have the black and white original (from a book published by the Prefeitura Municipal in 1964) and you have my "improved" version. What I did was colorize the map and re-do the labels and titles so they are readable. The two images are about 99.9% the same. The only major difference is that I eliminated the depth markings in the waters of Guanabara Bay (I couldn't read most of them anyway).
map1775f - Plan de la baye et du port de Rio de Janeiro, by Mannevillette. Another French map, mostly focusing on Guanabara bay. Notice the names of the many now famous areas of Rio are already firmly established (Botafogo, Lame, S. Cristovao, Gloria, etc) and others are gone (S. Bernardo and S. Diego).
map1775j - Plano da bahya do Rio de Janeiro. It is 1775 and Rio de Janeiro has been the Capital of Brazil colony since 1763 (transferred from Salvador). Rio is now growing rapidly and new areas are being occupied. Small settlements have been established all around the bay. Every beach and island in Guanabara Bay has been named.
map1780c- Carta da Costa do Rio (1888x1200). There is another whole class of maps that I have pretty much ignored: the naval charts of the waters around Rio. Up until the early 20th Century it was important to have a visual confirmation of the coast, for navigational purposes. Every navy had detailed charts showing coastlines, so that captains could verify their exact position upon landfall. Navigation by sextant and compass was only accurate to about 20 miles, depending on the skill of the officer, and the atmospheric conditions. This chart shows the mountains of the coastline for Rio. Most of these are also interested in the depth of the waters at all approaches to land. Notice that Corcovado Peak is called "Jorobado". FYI, Corcovado means hunchback (corcunda) and Gavia is an old word for sail.
map1780j- Plano del Puerto del Rio Janeiro (1888x1500). This map show clearly shows the four hills (and structures) surrounding historic Rio, marked A,B,C and D. These are convents and forts. Only the "Convento de Santo Antonio" (D) is not fortified (no tiene fortaleza). It has one of the better views of the historic 'Old City' surrounding the fortress and churches on Castelo Hill. Actually there was an earlier 'Cidade Velha' by Sugarloaf, but the date of Rio's foundation is counted from the establishment of the settlement on Castelo Hill.
map1787s - Plan of Rio de Janeiro. Here we have the Australia connection. In 1787 a large English fleet visited Rio on its way to Downunder, filled with convicts and colonists (often one and the same) being sent to establish what is now known as Australia. This became known as the "First Fleet". One of the major ships in the fleet was the Sirius, which left a multitude of records about the visit. Notice that the name of the city is "Saint Sebastian". "Rio de Janeiro" is the bay.
map1787s2 - Sketch of entrance to Rio, from the Sirius. Notice Sugarloaf and four fortifications at the entrance of the Bay. By the mid 18th century Rio was one of the best guarded cities in the world, with more than a dozen fortresses at the entrance of Guanabara Bay and in the hills and islands around Rio. The idea was to avoid any repeat of a visit like that of Mr Duguay Trouin in 1714.
map1792b - from John Barrows "A Voyage to Conchinchina", 1792. Funny. I must have forgot that the term "conchinchina" was used in English also. It is very common in Portuguese, and is used in the sense of "ends of the earth" (or like "Timbuktu"). These images (as those from the Sirius above) are from antique editions of early 19th century books for sale on Ebay. They go for hundreds of dollars, so I didn't get them. Rio was a standard "Port of Call" for all voyages going around South America to the Pacific Ocean. This, of course, means there are hundreds of ships logs and diaries that describe Rio and the Cariocas. Many of them have paintings (or engravings) showing the city and landscape. Later: I got my hands on a 1806 edition of Barrow's work and scanned the map. It was very faint so I had to enhance it but all details are now viewable. Notice his interest in the fortifications.
map1808a - Planta da Cidade de São Sebastião, 1808. At the beginning of the 19th century everything changed. Napoleon Bonaparte takes over Europe and for the first time ever European Royalty step foot on American soil. This map was ordered drawn by "His Lord the Prince Regent" upon his "happy and memorable" arrival in the City in 1808. Notice also another copy of this same map from Sweden's National Archives website.
map1808l - A later version of the above map. Planta da Cidade de Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, also 1808. This map was ordered drawn by "His Lord the Prince Regent" upon his "happy and memorable" arrival in the City in 1808. Actually the Portuguese Court and about 15,000 followers, fleeing from the armies of Napoleon, arrived in a fleet of British ships. Rio de Janeiro was now the capital of the Portuguese Empire, with colonies in Africa, India, China and throughout the Far East. Of course there weren't several thousand empty rooms or houses in Rio, so about 2,000 homes were confiscated to make room for the Royal Court (soldiers were sent out and they marked selected houses with the letters 'CR' as in 'Corte real', but which the Cariocas said signified 'casa roubada'). I wonder how 'happy' these folks really were...
map1808p - Planta da Cidade. Another view. Where did I get this map? Don't know. I have written a few words about the Brazilian Royal family here: . Most people don't realize that Brazil is the only country in the Americas with a real true blue royal family, and just as wierd as any on the planet. A strange bunch they were!
map1817j - More growth on this detailed map. The City has expanded to Santa Luzia and Gloria on one side, and to the Campo de Santana inland. The wars are over but King Joao hangs around Rio until forced to go back to Europe so not to loose his crown. About half of the 15,000 Europeans that arrived with the Royal court didn't return to Portugal, but chose to remain in Rio de Janeiro. That is why they call it the Marvelous City (Cidade Maravilhosa).
Another thing: as I try to show more detail, I must use larger images. This means that some of the pictures here are large, even at medium resolution. Starting in 2003 I tried to display all maps at at least 200 dpi. Even though I am only working with a very small area (the historic center of Rio) this means that some maps will up to 4000 pixels wide and maybe 2500 high. It will of course depend on the original scale used in the map and the resolution needed to display map detail properly. If map detail is not present, it is because I don't have it. What I am saying is that some of the maps here are BIG; many of the pictures are 500K or more, even after using a 50% compression ratio in jpeg format.
map18xx1 and map1830a - Two versions of same undated map. Planta da Cidade do RYO DE JANEYRO Capital dos Estados do Brazil. I have seen this map dated 1769 but that seems wrong. It is too early for many features on the map. Update: This is an 1769 map! See above for a better, more detailed version.
map1831r - Planta do Rio de Janeiro. Another great map from the US Library of Congress. Rio de Janeiro is now the Capital of the independent and free Empire of Brazil, ruled by Dom Pedro I. Brazil is pretty much the only country that is a monarchy (not a republic) in all of the Americans. As a curiosity, almost all of the bay-side beaches marked on the map are long gone - victims of progress and landfills. You can always find replicas of this map on Ebay for about $30, with S/H.
map1831s - Detail of above map, showing the central city area. Notice the number of churches and convents in Rio, indicated by the heavily shaded boxes scattered throughout the city. Notice Rua Mata Cavalo (Kill Horses Street), later Riachuelo street, that begins at the Arcos. There is also a Mata Porcos (Kill Pigs). Life was hard on domestic animals. These were the main roads to the interior, rural areas beyond the city. I have lightened the colors on this map to make it easier to view. The original colors are very dark.
map1838d - Nice 1838 map by either Dufour, Desbuissons or Renouard, depending on who you ask and what book it was published in. Actually one was the Editor, another the publisher and the third was the cartographer. This was the first old map of Rio that I acquired. It was bought in France.
map1838e - High resolution (2100x1700) detail of map above. Very similar to the 1831 map. Notice the Campo da Honra (Field of Honor), also known as Campo de Santana, and now as the Praca da Republica, in front of the big Central do Brasil train station. It was still pretty much at the edge of town. The dark boxes indicate churches and/or convents - there were quite a few of them.
map1853x - Partial detail (1716x1768) of Laurie's map of Rio de Janeiro region. It is basically a nautical chart of the bay and surronding areas, with depths, winds and tide information. Notice how the City has expanded along the shore of the Bay to Cattete and Botafogo.
map1856r - Simple map of Rio, without much detail, Colton's Altas of thew World, 1860 edition. From about this time until 1900 almost every atlas of South America had an insert with a general map such as this. Not really very helpful.
map1858p - Planta da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, organized by the Milatary Archives. I think I found this in a book called "Album da Cidade". It is not very clear.
map1860j - Basically the same map as the one in Coltons, this time from Johnsons Atlas. They have added a few names indicative of major places, such as Misericordia (the Santa Casa hospital) and the Passeio Publico (Public Park).
map1867r - Nova Planta da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Another great detailed map from the US Library of Congress. Notice the train lines, and that the Campo de Santana is now Campo da Aclamacao. This, to me, is the classic map of Imperial Rio de Janeiro, the city of Dom Pedro II. According to different travelers, this was a city you either loved or hated.
map1867s - Detail of map above. It is kind of strange to think of train tracks running through the Praca da Republica (also called Campo de Santana, Campo da Acclamacao and Campo de Honra or 'Field of Honor'). It was at this time that Rio really began to grow. The inland communities on the northern side began to develop (Tijuca, Vila Isabel, Penha, Madureira, etc...). The problem was that almost all the level land near the center was occupied. One of the first solutions was to drain the mangue lowlands beyond the Campo de Santana.
Map1872f - This map is only here because of the engravings. It is a general map, showing what is now the State of Rio de Janeiro. Around it are several figures depicting life in mid 19th century Rio. There is a great panorama of the center of Rio, showing the buildings on Castelo. Notice also the "slave capture" and the "negro huntsman" figures, a rather strange testament to the complex lives of Afro-Brazilians before the abolition of slavery.
map1875s - Bay von Rio de Janeiro. A German map of Rio de Janeiro, by Stieler.
map1875t - Rio de Janeiro. Another more detailed version of Steilers map, with more detail. Notice the Aqueduct of Carioca (the Lapa Arches) and the lesser known Aqueduct of Marcoana, probably an early reference to Maracana.
map1879l - A great but vague map from an art book sponsored by BVRJ. I would really like to find a good, detailed Original version on this map, so I am leaving it here for reference.
map1886n - Plan of the City of Rio de Janeiro, The Rio News, 1888 - Lamoureux and Co.
map1887c - This is the Century Map of Rio de Janeiro. It is very common and was published in a variety of forms and under several different names. All of them are very similar.
map1890b - Rio de Janeiro Und Umgebung. Another German map, the Brockhaus' map (1394x1025). The 'bairros' in the northern zone, such as Vila Isabel, Andarai, Engenho, Piedade, etc, are growing. Rio is growing by leaps in bounds.
map1895r - Reclus map of the City. More growth, including a few unpaved streets in Copacabana. This chart also emphasizes depth of waters in Guanabara Bay.
map1896r - Rio de Janeiro and Environs. Another simple map, showing important points. As you see, Botofogo is on a roll, with a growing urban area. (999x1000)
map1896u - Great French Map of 1896 - Altas Universel
map1898b - Another Blochaus map. Note that Ilhas dos Ratos (Rat Island) has finally become Ilha Fiscal. This small island next to Ilhas das Cobras is where the strange green gothic castle is, on the bay near the center of town is. In that building was held the last formal ball of the Empire, just before Dom Pedro was thrown out and Brazil became a republic. It was probably a true "twilight of the Gods" and maybe even with Wagner playing in the background. Imagine a fancy party, with hundreds of royalty (Dukes, Counts, Viscounts, etc...) waltzing to Strauss, knowning that their world was ending...
map1899l - This is a picture of a map I bought in Barcelona, Spain. Unfortunately it never arrived. Lost in transit, they say. I am still trying to get my $130 back.
map1900c - Another version of the Century Atlas (1692x1044). Very often Rio is featured as an inset map, probably to use space that would otherwise be blank ocean. I have a couple of these, but they are worthless. Oh yes, it is not "Bay of Rio de Janeiro"; the correct term is and always has been "Guanabara Bay"
At the beginning of the 20th Century, big changes came to Rio. For over 300 years the City had been concentrated around a very small area between the traditional hills of the central area. The streets were narrow and crooked. Buildings were crowded together. The first automobiles were on the streets. Something had to be done. In a bold move, the City Authorities drew a line down the middle of the town, from one end of the city to the other. This was to be the new, wide Central Avenue: 1.8 kilometers long (1.2 miles). Down came 600 buildings and Rio de Janeiro had a new avenue that rivaled any in the world. Avenida Central was the showcase of the new Rio.
map1904b - Guide des Etats Unis du Bresil, by Bilac, Passos and Bandeira (3000x2400). This is one of the best and most importamt maps I have. It took me two years to find and buy this map. It shows Rio just before the big changes that started at the turn of the century (1900) and it shows those planned changes, including the construction of Avenida Rio Branco, removal of Morro do Senado and building Avenida Nem de Sa', as well as the new port extension. The formal name of the map is: Plan de la Ville de Rio de Janeiro avec le trace des travaux projectes and it is included in a 250 page guidebook (in French). Great map!
Recenseamento 1906 and Planta organizada pela Reparticao da Carta Cadastral 1904.
I found these two maps in a library but they were in pretty bad shape. The Census map is a montage from the different pages in the Census book (an original) but since the book was old and thick it would not open properly and the scans were not very good. I would have had to take it apart to get good copies, but that would have destroyed the volume. I started to clean the census map up but it was too much work. The 1904 map also had the following legend: Prefeitura do Distrito Federal - Planta dos Melhoramentos Projetados pelo Prefeito J. Pereira Passos, incluindo os melhoramentos projetados pelo Governo Federal - 1904 . Both are big maps and I added the blue water color to make them easier to read.
map1908c - Planta da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, made for 'Guia do Rio de Janeiro', 1908 (1500x1385). Once again, be aware that in many of the following maps only a small portion is shown - the center area. Sometimes - if I remember - I will add a small inset showing the entire map, as in this case.
map1908s - The Bay and Environs of Rio de Janeiro. Stanford's general map of the Federal District, showing railroads, major and minor, as well as those projected.
Planta da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, feita expressamente para a "Guia do Rio de Janeiro" com os melhoramentos realizadaos pelo governo e prefeitura municipal - 1908. I bought these two maps from Japan, with the Guia Rex (1961) below. This map features the 3 major changes to Rio in progress at this time: the new Avenida Central (later Rio Branco), Av. Nem de Sa through where the Senate Hill had existed, and the new port area. The second map is from the "Atlas dos Estados Unidos do Brazil, published in the state of Bahia, also 1908.
map1913e - Plan de la Ville de Rio de Janeiro. This is a great French map of Rio from Guide de la Capitale du Bresil, a "L'Etolile du Sud" guidebook by Charles and Henrique Morel. It had been at one time on board the cruiser USS Pittsburgh (there were 3 ships with the name, it was probably No. 2, that was in commission from 1912 to 1931). I found it at a bookstore in New Mexico. A rather strange journey: Rio, France, US Navy ship, New Mexico, Arizona. Also notice that Avenida Central is now Avenida Rio Branco, as it remains today. Also notice all the landfill and projected work on the dock side (Caes do Porto), above the old Sao Bento monastery.
Question: was there at one time a seawall, or breakwater barrier (quebra-mar) across Guanabara Bay protecting the center harbor area in front of Praça XV? It lookes like it extended from Ilha das Cobras to Calabouço Point. See map above, or check 1884 Port map at bottom of page.
map1915r - Rio de Janeiro Monumental. This is my favorite antique map of Rio de Janeiro (big, 900k). I bought it from a lady that told me her father had picked it up on a trip to Rio during World War I. It shows all the main buildings and monuments, as well as all embassies and streetcar (bonde) lines. There are 3 images of this map here, showing both sides and details.
map1915s - Back side of above 1915 map, Planta das Cidades de Rio de Janeiro e Nictheroy by Carlos Aenishanslin. I have added a white showing the modern limits of the bay along Flamengo, Gloria and Santos Dumont airport. (700k)
map1915t - Detail of the Castelo and Arcos (the Lapa Arches) area of the above map (300k). To me this is the Golden Age of Rio. I will never understand how or why the City of Rio made the decision to demolish its most historic place, with its oldest buildings. The removal of Castle Hill (Morro do Castelo) was a crime against history. Another nice thing about this map is the view of the old Lapa Arches, one of my favorite Rio landmarks. This is a link to my page about the 'Arcos': and here is a picture of the Arches: 
.
map1920r - Map of Central Section of Rio de Janeiro. Good 1920 central map just before removing Castelo, from a tourist pamphlet (999x1300)
Brazam Guide to Rio de Janeiro - 1922. It took me over two years to find this one. Actually the map is quite small and limited to the center business area. It also included a map of the 1922 Exposition area (under Castello hill)> One day I am going to write about the Expo.
map1922c - Guia Artistico do Rio de Janeiro. I lost this on Ebay (outbid) but a year later I find a copy in a bookstore. Notice that Villegaignon Island is still a fort, and that the 1922 Exposition area (near Castelo Hill) is marked. One day I'm going to write a page about 1922 - a very interesting year, with the Expo in Rio and the Semana de Arte Moderna in Sao Paulo. I still remember all (some?) of the lectures about 1922 from my classes at the Ginasio Estadual Vocacional Oswaldo Aranha (Gevoa) in Brooklin, SP. This is a big map (2500x1770).
From 1920 to 1923, give or take a year or two, the City government of Rio (Prefeitura Municipal) tore down the Morro do Castelo and all the ancient buildings on it. Actually the washed it down with water hoses, seen here: 
. The official reason was that the buildings were decrepit with age (they were! see here: 
and here: 
) and the city needed level land to expand. The fact is that this is all true: the buildings were in bad shape, half of Castelo was a slum (favela) and chickens and goats roamed the hill. There is a great picture of laundry hanging from the old walls of the fortress. It could have been saved, however, with a little good will. The basic fact is that the Prefietura was in a financial crisis and they intended to solve the problem by selling the land not only where the hill was but also the new land in the landfill (aterro) adjacent made with the dirt from Morro do Castelo. Never let a little history get between government and money!
map1924m - This map is absolutely scary!. Este mapa e' realmente assustador! This is the A Metropole Moderna. A proposito dos novos melhoramentos do Rio de Janeiro, acompanhada d'uma planta da cidade remodelada, by Fernando Xavier da Silveira. Basically this is a planning map for "Modern Metropole" showing a remodeled Rio. Somebody had been watching too much Fritz Lang. In simple terms, the proposal was to destroy (pull down, demolish, obiterate) two-thirds (2/3) of historic downtown Rio, tearing down all buildings to construct a 'modern' Rio de Janeiro, with new, straight avenues and uninspired box-like buildings. In the map all the new 'remodeled' streets are marked with red lines.
map1920z - 'Agache' Plan map for "Monumental" Rio de Janeiro (1920s). Another makeover plan to remodel Rio, this one even more drastic than the previous. It is hard even to find the old familiar avenues. This plan was developed at the same time as the first modern 'building code' for Rio was instituted. It attempts to define specific areas for residential, commercial and industrial use, as well as intermediate 'interchange' spaces connected by wide avenues. This plan, like the above, never got off the paper. Fortunately! I can only see about 5 historic buildings are left, plus the Old Aqueduct (Arches). I sometimes look for old maps on the web, and I did find this Agache Plan and map on sale in Europe (see thumbnail). Now if I only had 10,000 Euros or Marks to buy it.
map1925m - Another Monumental Rio de Janeiro map. Basically this is an update of the 1915 map, but with two big problems. First, many of the historic buildings in the earlier version are missing - a whole hill of them and a few others. Secondly, there are two blank spots, one where Castelo Hill was and the other where they were working on the landfill. I am sure this caused not a few headaches to the map-makers. here is a picture of Rio at that time 
. Notice the 'hole' in the background where Castelo Hill once stood. Oh yes, this map is from the University of Utah library. Good Mormons!.
map1925n - Partial view of the back side of the above map of Monumental Rio. About the only thing really interesting is the proposed monument -- to be donated by the United States -- that was to be built at the edge of the Castelo landfill (later to be Santos Dumont airport). Was this to be a statue a la liberty that was to stand at the entrance of the city? I had heard about this from somebody back in the 1970s, in Rio, but they told me the 'aterro' (to be more exact, the ponta do Calabouco) was considered as a possible location of the Cristo Redentor statue. It doesn't add up and I can't imagine the Chrust statue down on the Bay. Anyway, the damn lyin' Imperialist Yankee gringos didn't donate the darn statue. I have written about the Corcovado and other giant statues here: . Please don't write and ask if it is true!
map1930b - Estradas de Rodagem Rio - Sao Paulo e Rio - Petropolis. A simple road map relating to the main highways around, from the Guia Briguet (France). Nothing special here.
map1930r - Downtown Rio - A simple map of ...downtown Rio, late 1920s (?). Castelo Hill is gone, but it looks like they have found a use for the landfill. (999x666)
map1934p - City of Rio de Janeiro. Dated about 1934, from an article by Panam Clipper (flying boat) pilot. Notice the two "airbases" for the Panam (7 days to New York) and Condor (A German-Brazilian venture) airlines. Both are up in the Caju sector, beyond the port, not in the downtown area.
map1935p - Guia das Colectividades Estrangeiras no Rio de Janeiro, Publix guide, 1935. This map is from a booklet handed out to all foreign visitors arriving in Rio. It was published in six languages. A couple of interesting points: they are thinking of taking down Santo Antonio Hill; Ilha Fiscal is now connected to Ilha das Cobras by a causeway; and notice they are still trying to figure out what to do with the landfill on the bay. Also notice the Condor Airlines ad, with both Luthansa and Zeppelin aircraft. Question: was there a sea-plane version of the Junkers tri-motor Ju-52 as seen on the map? This German influence really bothered the Roosevelt administration in Washington, as seen here: 
and here: 
. One day I'm going to write a page about the Clipper Flying boats, the Zeppelins, The Condors and Ju-52s and even the DO-X 
in Rio.
map1938t - Very nice map of the Center of Rio, by the Touring Club. The 1930s were a great time in Rio, with the greatest sambas ever, and political intrigue and the excitement of seeing the great clipper seaplanes and the Zeppelins in the skies overhead. The era is gone forever! Its really sad. Notice the big marketplace (mercado) downtown, near the ferryboats and Praca XV. Its days are numbered.
map1939g - Central Area of the City of Rio de Janeiro, from the Brazilian Green Guides book called Rio de Janeiro and Environs, 1938. This is certainly the most common of the tourist guidebooks from this era. It has two foldout maps, one of the city (seen here) and another one of the bay area (item below). The trouble is that most of the books on sale are missing one or two of these maps. There is also an image of the legends and location index for above map from the Green Guide book. This is one of the more detailed 'modern' listing of buildings, attractions and other places on this page.
map1940s - This is the second map from the Green Guide book Rio de Janeiro and Environs. Often the book will have this map, but not the street map above. Notice all the islands in Guanabara Bay, particularly around "Fundao". Most of these are gone, too.
map1941w - Map of the Federal District of Brazil, care of the US Navy and Army War College. This is a small part showing the center area only. The map is big, covering the area south to Santa Cruz and Sepitiba. Note the "Invade Brazil here" in the upper right corner, taken from the left side of the original map. The map is about 10 years out of date, because it does not show the actual work on the landfill or the Santos Dumont airport. (2200x3100)
map1944a - Pocket Guide of Rio de Janeiro. This is a 1944 map provided by the American Society mostly to US sailors and soldiers during World War 2.
map1945c - Planta do Centro da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, from a book called 'Cidade e Arredores do Rio de Janeiro' (City and Surrounding Areas of Rio de Janeiro, the jewel of Brazil) - a nice book by Kosmos Editors. The big event here is the opening of President Vargas Avenue, that had just been opened in the heart of Rio (1943-44). This wide avenue was made by tearing down hundreds of buildings between two old streets starting in front of the Candelaria Church. This is a view of the construction: 
. This was, in my opinion, Rio's answer to the wide boulevards in Brazil's other Capital - you know, that big city down in Argentina...I forget it's name. This is a link to my page about the romance between Brazil and Argentina:
map1957e - Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. A standard road map and street guide by Esso (Standard Oil) from 1957. They are still working on the bay (aterro), and Santo Antonio is still going to go down. All in all, it was a nice city. This was pretty much the same Rio de Janeiro that I first saw in the early 1960s. It had streetcars (bondes) and old American automobiles. The ugly elevated highway had not been built across the old waterfront, and I think that even the old market was still there (this is what happened to the old, historic Mercado: 
Pathetic! By the way, one of the four mercado corner towers still exists, as a restaurant). Here is a link to my page about the changes that have occurred in Rio, particularly in the last 100 years.here.
I don't usually care about maps that are after 1960, this was the end of an era. This is also the end of this map collection page. Modern Rio de Janeiro is very nice, and still has much history - but it isn't the same Rio that it was 50 or 100 years ago. Anyway, it was a charming town.
map2000r - This is an image overlay of the 1838 map compared to the outline of modern Rio de Janeiro (AD 2000). Notice the many changes from 1838 to 2000 (size: 1666 x 1170).
The Old and New Rio. This is a page (relating to map above) about some of the major changes that have happened in the last 200 years in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This includes the building of Rio Branco Avenue, the tearing down of Castle Hill (Morro do Castelo), Santo Antonio Hill and and other significant changes to the old historic center area. I created a map overlay that shows the differences in the city from 1838 to 2000.
440 years of Rio. An animated image showing 440 years of growth of Rio de Janeiro in 1 minute, made from 22 simple maps. This attempts to show how and where urban development happened in the City of Rio de Janeiro, which has changed much in the 440 years since it was founded in 1565. It also shows the many changes to the mountains, lagoons, and beaches, as well as the landfills in the historic center area. 
And last of all - this photo will give you a good idea of the general area of downtown Rio. Many parts of historic Rio can still be seen here: the arches, the Paco, the Santa Casa, The Theatre, Ilha das Cobras and Fiscal, Largo da Carioca, Passeio Publico, Mosteiro de Sao Bento, Santo Antonio and so many more. It is a great photo from spaceimaging.com, which I put together from 3 smaller pictures. 
Pictures from space. This is great! Here is an external link to the new Google map and satellite image page. You can move the image around and even zoom it in. The geographic coordinates in this link are centered on the Arcos (Arches) in the center of Rio - but if you want Copacabana - click here , or Barra da Tijuca - click here or even downtown Sao Paulo (Anhangabau) - click here . I love it!
I am putting these here so not to forget them. I was outbid on both of these on the same week. Damnation! Anyway, the Freycinet map looks interesting and is from the 1830s. It had labels for all important points. The "Plan de la baye" map is, of course, a version of the Duguay Trouin pirate map. I thought it was not original because it is different (the blocked title frame) from the more common (and earlier) map published in the early 1700s. I think this is from a later, around 1740-1750, unauthorized version of the work. The story of the attack on Rio was so popular in FRance that several editions were printed and even pirate versions were published.
