LITTLE AFRICAS

At the opposite end of Avenida Central, where the big-time carnival outfits were headlining at the official, white and Europeanized city’s parades, the revelers of Praça Onze occupied the streets in a healthy state of disorder. In 1932, the first parade competition between samba schools, won by Mangueira, was held in its streets. For the following decades, the area continued to be the showground for the samba schools, which paraded on Avenida Presidente Vargas. In 1984, the city welcomed a Sambódromo, the stage for major shows and close to Visconde de Itaúna Street, where Tia Ciata lived.