Ladeira da Preguiça

Last updated
Opened in 1873, the Lacerda Elevator has reduced dramatically the importance of the old steep streets of Salvador in the flux of goods and passersbys between Cidade Baixa and Cidade Alta. Elevador Lacerda Salvador Bahia.jpg
Opened in 1873, the Lacerda Elevator has reduced dramatically the importance of the old steep streets of Salvador in the flux of goods and passersbys between Cidade Baixa and Cidade Alta.

The Ladeira da Preguiça (steep street of Laziness), located at the traditional Dois de Julho neighbourhood in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, is an important way from a historical and cultural perspective.

Salvador, Bahia Municipality in Northeast, Brazil

Salvador, also known as São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos is the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia. With 2.9 million people (2017), it is the largest city proper in the Northeast Region and the 4th largest city proper in the country, after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.

Brazil Federal republic in South America

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the fifth most populous. Its capital is Brasília, and its most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states, the Federal District, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world.

Contents

History

The Ladeira da Preguiça was one of the first three slopes built in Salvador (probably, at the 17th century), just after the opening of the steep streets of Misericórdia and Conceição. They fulfilled the role of connecting the city harbour (Downtown Salvador) with the Cidade Alta (Uptown Salvador). [1] Its bygone importance can be measured by the fact that it gave its name to the Dois de Julho beach: Litoral da Preguiça (Coast of Laziness).

Gradually neglected in favour of easier and faster access roads, today it is in a state of abandonment, surrounded by old ruined houses.

Origin of the name

The laziness quoted in the name of the steep street refers to the fact that the goods were transported from the city harbour to the Cidade Alta on the backs of slaves or in carts pulled by oxen - and pushed by slaves. The former elite, which lived in houses along the route, amused themselves with shouts of "go up, laziness!" when they witness the slaves painfully climbing the slope, weighed down by bags of goods weighing up to 60 kg or pushing carts overstocked. [2]

Laziness disinclination to activity or exertion

Laziness is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or to exert oneself. It is often used as a pejorative; terms for a person seen to be lazy include "couch potato", "slacker", and "bludger".

However, corroborating the folkloric, biased and elitist image that the natives of Bahia (in general) and soteropolitanos (in particular) are lazy, [3] the official site of the Tourism Authority of the City of Salvador, supports the thesis stating that the slaves, complaining of the hard labour, said that climb up the slope gave them "laziness." [1]

One of the most famous references to this steep street was made in the homonymous music Ladeira da Preguiça, wrote by Gilberto Gil in 1971 and recorded by many Brazilian singers, including Elis Regina.

In linguistics, homonyms, broadly defined, are words which sound alike or are spelled alike, but have different meanings. A more restrictive definition sees homonyms as words that are simultaneously homographs and homophones – that is to say they have identical pronunciation and spelling, whilst maintaining different meanings. The relationship between a set of homonyms is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are the pair stalk and stalk and the pair left and left. A distinction is sometimes made between true homonyms, which are unrelated in origin, such as skate and skate, and polysemous homonyms, or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth and mouth.

Gilberto Gil Brazilian singer, guitarist, songwriter and politician

Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira, known professionally as Gilberto Gil, is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including rock, Brazilian genres including samba, African music, and reggae.

Elis Regina Brazilian singer of popular and jazz music

Elis Regina Carvalho Costa, known professionally as Elis Regina, was a Brazilian singer of popular and jazz music.

See also

Related Research Articles

Bahia State of Brazil

Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the 4th-largest Brazilian state by population and the 5th-largest by area. Bahia's capital is the city of Salvador, located on a spit of land separating the Bay of All Saints from the Atlantic. Once a monarchial stronghold dominated by agricultural, slaving, and ranching interests, Bahia is now a major manufacturing center whose last three elections have been dominated by the Workers' Party.

Daniela Mercury Brazilian singer-songwriter

Daniela Mercury is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress and television host. In her solo career, Mercury has sold over 20 million records worldwide and had 24 Top 10 singles in the country, with 14 of them reached #1. Winner of a Latin Grammy for her album Balé Mulato – Ao Vivo, she also received six Brazilian Music Award, an APCA award, three Multishow Brazilian Music Awards and two awards at VMB: Best Music Video and Photography.

Zélia Gattai Amado de Faria was a Brazilian photographer, memoirist, novelist and author of children's literature, as well as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Gattai has written 14 different literary works, including children's books and her own personal memoirs that have been widely published.

The Malê revolt is perhaps the most significant slave rebellion in Brazil. On a Sunday during Ramadan in January 1835, in the city of Salvador da Bahia, a small group of black slaves and freedmen, inspired by Muslim teachers, rose up against the government. Muslims were called malê in Bahia at this time, from Yoruba imale that designated a Yoruba Muslim.

Brazil–Nigeria relations Diplomatic relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Brazil–Nigeria relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Brazil and Nigeria. Relations focus primarily upon trade and culture. The two nations, one the largest country in Latin America by size, the other the largest country in Africa by population, are remotely bordered across from one another by the Atlantic Ocean. For centuries, Brazil and Nigeria have enjoyed a warmly friendly and strong relationship on the bases of culture and commercial trade. Nigeria is a major provider of petroleum to Brazil.

Barra (neighborhood) neighborhood in Salvador

Barra is a neighborhood located in the south zone of the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Barra is one of the most traditional neighborhoods of the city, and is also one of the most popular neighborhoods for tourists, with many attractions, like Farol da Barra Lighthouse, Morro do Cristo Hill, Farol da Barra Beach, and Porto da Barra Beach.

Historic Center (Salvador) World Heritage Site in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

The Historic Center (US) or Centre of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, also known as the Pelourinho or Pelo, is a historic neighborhood in western Salvador, Bahia. It was the city's center during the Portuguese colonial period and was named for the whipping post in its central plaza where African slaves received punishment for various infractions, as well as for disciplinary purposes. The Historic Center is extremely rich in historical monuments dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries.

Liberdade is the second most populous district of Salvador,. Salvador is the Capital City of the Brazilian State of Bahia.

LAB – Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A. was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It ceased operations in 1948.

Viação Aérea Bahiana was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It ceased operations on November 4, 1948.

Brazilians in Nigeria consist mostly of descendants of freed Afro-Brazilian slaves who left Brazil and settled in Nigeria as well as expatriates from Brazil.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil.

Comércio (Salvador) Place in Salvador, Brazil

Comércio is a neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The district served as the port of entry to Salvador from the beginning of the colonial period and later became home to the first planned business district in Brazil. It remains a financial center in the state of Bahia, as well as a municipal transportation hub and tourist destination. Comércio is home to numerous national heritage sites dating from the early colonial period to the 20th century. Comércio as a whole was listed as a national historic district of Brazil by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 2008.

Chapel of Our Lady of Help (Cachoeira)

The Chapel of Our Lady of Help is a 17th-century Roman Catholic church located in Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil. It is the first church built in Cachoiera as part of the Adorno family sugar plantation and is home to the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Help. The chapel attracts a large number of pilgrims devoted to Our Lady of Help. The chapel was listed as a historic structure by National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 1939.

Church of the Third Order of Mount Carmel church in Salvador, Bahia

The Church of the Third Order of Mount Carmel is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located adjacent to the Church and Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Church of the Third Order of Mount Carmel was listed as a historic structure by National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 1938 and is part of the Historic Center of Salvador UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Church of the Third Order of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People church in Salvador, Brazil

The Church of the Third Order of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People (Portuguese: Igreja da Ordem Terceira de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The church was listed as a historic structure by National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1938 and is part of the Historic Center of Salvador UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Elevador Lacerda geographical object

The Lacerda Elevator(Elevador Lacerda) is a public urban elevator located in Salvador, Brazil, connecting the lower city (Cidade Baixa) to the upper city (Cidade Alta). The 72 metres (236 ft) elevator was built between 1869 and 1873; it was named after Antônio de Lacerda, director of the Commercial Association of Bahia. It was a hydraulic elevator at first; later operating by electricity since 1906. The elevator towers were renovated in 1930, in an Art Deco styling. The Lacerda Elevator has two towers and four lifts, carrying 27 passengers each on a 30-second ride costing 0.15 reais. It transports 15 thousand people/day.

Church and Convent of Our Lady of Solitude

The Church and Convent of Our Lady of Solitude is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church and former convent in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The church and convent were founded in 1736 and are dedicated to Our Lady of Solitude. The convent has functioned as a school since 1927. The Church and Convent of Our Lady of Solitude is located within the Protected Historic District of Soledade by the State of Bahia.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ladeira da Preguiça - Centro". visiteabahia.com.br. 2004. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  2. ↑ Adriana Menezes (Jul–Sep 2005). "Mito ou identidade cultural da preguiça". Ciência e Cultura. ISSN   0009-6725 . Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  3. ↑ "A "comunidade imaginada" Bahia e a publicidade da bahiatursa: um enfoque sobre o estereótipo da preguiça" . Retrieved 2008-12-02.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.