The Valongo Wharf (Portuguese: Cais do Valongo) is an old dock located in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, between the current Coelho e Castro and Sacadura Cabral streets. It was built in 1811 and was used for bringing enslaved Africans to Brazil until 1831. A ban on the Atlantic slave trade was enforced, but the Brazilian government ignored the trade until 1850.

During its 20 years of operation, between 500,000 and 1 million enslaved people arrived at Valongo. Brazil received about 4.9 million enslaved people through the Atlantic trade.

In 1843, the wharf was renovated for the arrival of Princess Teresa Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who was to marry Emperor D. Pedro II. At that time, the wharf was called Cais da Imperatriz (Empress Wharf).

Between 1850 and 1920, the area near the old wharf became a place where Black enslaved people or freed people from different countries lived. This area was called Pequena África (Little Africa) by Heitor dos Prazeres.

History

Until the mid-1770s, enslaved people arrived at Praia do Peixe, now called Praça 15, and were sold along Rua Direita (now Rua 1º de Março), in the center of Rio de Janeiro, where others could see them. In 1774, new laws moved this market to the Valongo area, led by the second Marquis of Lavradio, Dom Luís de Almeida Portugal Soares de Alarcão d'Eça e Melo Silva Mascarenhas, who was the viceroy of Brazil. He was concerned about the harmful practice of enslaved people arriving in the port from Africa and then entering the city’s main streets, often sick and without clothing.

The market was moved, but the wharf in Valongo had not yet been built. As a result, enslaved people were first taken to customs and then sent by boat to Valongo, where they jumped directly onto the beach. In 1779, the slave trade became permanent in Valongo. It grew most between 1808, when the Portuguese royal family arrived in Brazil, and 1831, when the slave trade to Brazil was banned and continued secretly.

From 1808, the number of enslaved people arriving nearly doubled as the city grew, increasing from 15,000 to 30,000 people after the Portuguese court moved to Brazil. However, the wharf in Valongo was not completed until 1811, allowing enslaved people to land directly there. Between 1811 and 1831, between 500,000 and one million enslaved people arrived at Valongo. By the late 1820s, the slave trade to Brazil reached its highest point. Rio de Janeiro became a major center for the slave trade, with Valongo serving as the main entry point for enslaved people from Angola, East Africa, and Central West Africa. In Maranhão and Bahia, enslaved people arrived from Guinea and West Africa, respectively.

In 1831, the transatlantic slave trade was banned due to pressure from England, and Valongo was closed. After this, enslaved people were brought to Brazil through secret ports. In 1843, a 60-centimeter thick wall was built at Valongo’s dock to create a new anchorage for Princess Teresa Cristina, who would later become the wife of Emperor D. Pedro II. The wharf was then renamed “Cais da Imperatriz.” However, it was later buried in 1911 during an urban reform led by mayor Pereira Passos.

Rediscovery

In 2011, during excavations done during renovation projects in the Rio de Janeiro port area, two wharfs—Valongo and Imperatriz—were found, one above the other. These wharfs were discovered along with many amulets and religious objects from Congo, Angola, and Mozambique. IPHAN and the city of Rio de Janeiro added the wharf’s archaeological site to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. The wharf was officially named a World Heritage Site in 2017. As of 2022, the Brazilian government had not built a memorial at the site and had done little to increase awareness of its importance.