Brazil Houses Facts: All About Favela Residents You Need To Know!

Favelas are large and sprawling slums that are endemic to large cities of Brazil like Rio De Janeiro.

The history of favelas dates back to the 19th century when Brazil was in between transitioning from a kingdom to a republic.  Favelas are a type of slum located almost outside of Brazil’s largest cities Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro.

Some studies suggest that the favelas were formed by the former slaves who were in the midst of extreme poverty.

But the great migration of the 1940s and 1970s led to it being one of the most populous city occupations of Brazil.

As the improvements started to become glaringly obvious, favela residents started to form and organize residents associations, these were known to be a platform for community discussions in addition to acting as liaisons between favelados (favela residents) and prefeitura (city) in these Brazilian cities.

The first-ever favela to be known is Providencia in the midst of the city Rio De Janeiro in the 19th century primarily built by soldiers who were homeless after the War of Canudos.

People living in favelas have much better living conditions compared to when it was first built, people living in favelas have shaped their own unique lifestyle in these slum houses.

After reading the facts around favelas in Brazil, also check Brazil history facts and Brazil education facts.

History Of Traditional Houses In Brazil

Traditional houses in Brazilian cities date back to almost the beginning of some significant civilizations thousands of years ago.

The country of Brazil has a firm belief in what is called vernacular architecture using local materials from where the house is being built and using local techniques.  Some of the Brazil house types are as follows:

Oca (built with straw and timber without interior separations)

Maloca (found in Colombian and Brazilian amazon)

Quilombo (first emerging as rebellion settlements for African slaves)

Slit houses (usually found in high rainfall regions, raised on the shore of swampy soil)

Shack (also known as shantytown/favela, represents a significant part of the British population)

Rammed earth house (made from a mixture of clay, lime, and gravel)

Timber framing (type of technique that entered brazil through German immigrants)

These popular forms of houses have witnessed the test of time, the climax of rebellion, unfathomable plagues, and various governments and historical changes.

Their remarkable sense of design and town planning has marked Brazilian architecture, of course, room for improvements always remains to be seen, but these uniquely built forms of stone tell us a story older than the country itself.

Why do houses in Brazil have wood paneled windows?

One of the main reasons for houses in Brazil having wood-paneled windows is due to the weather. Brazil can be quite hot, especially during the summer season.

During the hot season (which typically lasts from October-March) people used to keep their windows open for the circulation of cool air to help them deal with humid times.

Culture being the second most important part, before the advent of technology, windows acted as a very important form of communication and consequently to social life. People having houses on the very edge of pavements could easily open their doors, watch the movement of streets, gossip, and chat with a passerby.

Traditions: Brazilians are not just constructed for convenience to save costs, the designs of the house, especially the wood-paneled windows come from their own diverse traditional beliefs and stories, where having one in a typically Brazilian home is a must.

What are houses made out of in Brazil?

Since favelas are often constructed on the edge or outskirts of large cities, they are made with makeshift structures of wooden scraps and a material called daub. The use of bricks, cinder blocks, and sheet metal later came into being.

The residents of favelas, however, to this day are struggling to find enough water since most of these slums are in the outskirts of the city it becomes highly impossible to fetch water or get access to water like the people living in the city.

Life in the favelas is a constant struggle for the residents as the standard of living is nowhere near the western standards.

The construction of these favelas is often quite shoddy but that does not mean that the structure is unstable or weak, it simply lacks some desired amenities.

But most of the working class population prefers living here till they can afford a better place as the favelas offer them convenient access to their workplaces.

How the houses are made in Brazil?

Brazilian architecture is known to be one of its kind.

Favelas are generally made when people known as squatters occupy vacant land and construct what is known as shanties of salvaged or stolen materials.

The slums where favelas dwell are highly crime-centric so constructing them in such a way as to get the maximum protection from intruders has also become important so that families are not vulnerable. The Brazilian habitat of favelas increasingly became only after the great migration.

The population of slums and hut-type a house among Brazilian families is high. Families live such a life not because they want to, but they are forced to. Due to unfair options available, the rich families of Brazil live a richer life and the poor families of Brazil live a poorer life.

People call their house 'minha casa". Communities of the country have very basic living conditions. São Paulo serves as the capital of Brazil, and also because it's metropolitan, the housing in São Paulo is better.

There are new houses for more families and the rural migrants from rural areas are having opportunities to leave their scarce land without any drinking water behind and to move into building cisterns and getting permanent housing with house improvements and opportunities to work in a registered company. Urban poverty is a real thing in Brazil.

The urban areas lack access to decreasing the poverty line.

There is slum housing around sewage systems in urban areas. The Brazilian government is trying its best to give a roof and a source of income for such vulnerable families even while having inadequate housing.

Favelas in conclusion are a diverse and extraordinary group of houses constructed outside of the big Brazilian cities, their significance in Brazil's economy and population has been instrumental. A recent survey suggested that 6% of the country’s population live in favelas consequently their significance in the city's occupations and in real estate markets has been deemed to be valuable.

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