Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museu
Villa-Lobos
f
Rua Sorocaba 200, Botafogo.
Tel
(021) 2226 9818.
home to many species of
plants, as well as innumerable
types of birds and animals.
However, the garden's signa-
ture are the 200 imperial palms
that line its main avenues.
Jardim Botânico has other
attractions within its grounds.
These include Rio's original
gunpowder factory dating
from 1808, the old gates of
the Fine Arts Academy, and
the Empress's Mansion, which
became the headquarters of
the National School of
Tropical Botany in 2001.
q
Botafogo.
#
10am-5:30pm Mon-Fri.
8
www
.museuvillalobos.org.br
With over 1,000 compositions
to his credit, Heitor Villa-Lobos
(1897-1959) is considered
one of the greatest composers
in Latin America
(see p32)
.
It is believed that it was
through his work that
Brazilian music first became
popular abroad, eventually
gaining universal appeal with
the advent of
bossa nova
.
The Villa-Lobos Museum,
which moved to a stately
19th-century mansion in
Botafogo in 1986, helps
organize the Villa-Lobos
Festival that begins on the
anniversary of his death,
November 17, each year.
His second wife, Arminda
Neves d'Almeida, set up
the museum in 1960, one year
after his death. Its aim is
to preserve the composer's
personal collection of artifacts
and keep his work alive.
Exhibits include his topics,
music scores, photographs,
and instruments.
Villa-Lobos's best-known
work is his cycle of the nine
Bachianas Brasileiras
, which
pays homage to both Bach
and Brazilian folk music. Such
was his versatility that he
wrote a variety of music from
choros
(an upbeat waltz or
polka), concertos, sympho-
nies, and orchestral works,
to chamber music, operas,
and ballets, as well as guitar
and solo piano pieces.
Stately building housing the Museu
Casa de Rui Barbosa
Museu do Índio
d
Rua das Palmeiras 55, Botafogo.
Tel
(021) 3214 8702.
Museu Casa de
Rui Barbosa
g
Rua São Clemente 134, Botafogo.
Tel
(021) 3289 4600.
q
Botafogo.
#
9am-5:30pm Tue-Fri; 1-5pm Sat,
Sun & public hols.
www
.museudoindio.org.br
&
8
q
Botafogo.
#
10am-5pm Tue-Sun.
&
8
www
.casaruibarbosa.gov.br
Founded in 1953, the Museum
of the Indian is run by the
National Indian Foundation
(Funai) with the aim of giving
people an insight into the
lives of Brazil's Indian and
indigenous groups. Housed in
a 19th-century mansion, this
dynamic institution has over
14,000 indigenous artifacts,
50,000 photographs, and over
200 films. With 16,000 topics
and magazines, it also has
one of the most complete
libraries covering topics
related to indigenous peoples.
There are several permanent
exhibits in the gardens, inclu-
ding a Guaraní house and
farm field, a Xingu kitchen
and house, and Kuarup ritual
tree trunks. There is also a
well-stocked store that sells
genuine indigenous artifacts.
A renowned politician,
diplomat, and jurist, Rui
Barbosa de Oliveira
(1849-1923) helped shape
several important Brazilian
policies, including those
pertaining to direct elections
and the abolition of slavery.
He made his mark inter-
nationally during the 1907
Peace Conference at the
Hague, where he argued
that all countries should be
treated equally. Barbosa
contested twice for the
Brazilian presidency - in
1910 and 1919 - but lost
on both occasions.
Barbosa was also a great
essayist and was one of the
founders of the Brazilian
Academy of Letters. He later
became its second president.
He was eventually elected as
a judge to the International
Court of Justice at the Hague.
The 1850 building that
houses the Rui Barbosa
Museum was the statesman's
home from 1895 until his
death in 1923. When it
opened to the public in
1930, it was the first private
residence in Brazil to be
turned into a museum.
The museum showcases
a collection of Barbosa's
personal possessions, such
as furniture and art, and a
library, containing 200 of
his own works.
Indigenous roundhouse on the grounds of Museu do Índio
