By Thiago Gabriel 
In Aldeia Maracanã (Maracanã Village), an indigenous village located next to the iconic soccer stadium of the same name, numerous efforts have been underway since 2006 to resist the pressures of real estate speculation, particularly during preparations for mega-events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Currently, 14 families live in the village, which is also home to the Maracanã Village Multiethnic Indigenous University (UIPAM). Additionally, the village serves as a refuge for indigenous peoples from other regions of the country, who consider it their home in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2024, the threat of forced eviction has resurfaced with a repossession order issued by the Federal Regional Court of the Second Region. Once again, the fate of the only indigenous village in the heart of Rio remains uncertain.
Before the mega sporting events held in Rio in 2014 and 2016, Maracanã Village was little known. The real estate speculation driven by these events made the community a target for forced evictions. In 2012, the state government made plans to expand the parking lot in the area. In 2013, with the support of the National Force, officers from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) and the Military Police’s Shock Battalion stormed the building that once housed the Indigenous Museum and removed the indigenous people living there, temporarily bringing an end to the years of work carried out by residents and allies leading resistance efforts since 2006.
Rare books were burned, and years of work were destroyed with extreme brutality. That same year, a group of indigenous people who lived in the village accepted then-Governor Sérgio Cabral’s proposal to renovate the former building of the Indigenous Museum and moved into a housing complex under the Minha Casa Minha Vida federal housing program. However, not all indigenous residents accepted this offer. For them, the struggle and resistance to remain in their territory continued.
In a sense, by proposing the renovation of the former Indigenous Museum building without ever carrying it out, the government continued its systemic erasure of indigenous people, as it neither took action nor mentioned any intention of recognizing Maracanã Village as indigenous territory. Now, over a decade later, this remains the reality for the people of different ethnic groups living there, who rely on the solidarity of students, researchers, volunteers, and human rights advocacy groups that have been supporting initiatives in the territory.
That was until June 2024, when Judge José Arthur Diniz Borges, from the 8th Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro, ordered the repossession of the land where the former Indigenous Museum once stood, next to the Maracanã sports complex, returning it to the State. The museum, now a dilapidated building on a vast piece of land, has been occupied for years by indigenous families from different ethnic groups who call the area Maracanã Village. According to attorney Arão da Providência, who represents the indigenous people, the site has been occupied by representatives of native peoples since 2006, with authorization from the federal government, which previously owned the property.
Attorney Arão da Providência states that the recent court ruling is the enforcement of a years-old sentence. However, he claims that there are inconsistencies in the case, which is why he has appealed to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) and the National Justice Council (CNJ). He argues that one of the key issues is the requirement to notify all 23 indigenous leaders who lived in the area in 2013, which did not happen; many are no longer in Maracanã Village. He also points out that, in the 2013 case, the State had only requested the repossession of part of the land, around 1,500 square meters, and is now seeking possession of the entire 14,300-square-meter area encompassing Maracanã Village.
In an official statement, the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro stated that it “is awaiting the deadline set by the court to take the necessary measures for the repossession of the property.”
The village chief Urutau Guajajara, underscores the importance of Maracanã Village as the only remaining space of indigenous reference in the city of Rio de Janeiro—a true cornerstone in the fight against the erasure of indigenous memory and culture in Rio.
Various activities are continuously held at the site, including the teaching of Tupi languages, workshops, traditional indigenous graphics, handicraft sales, animal husbandry, ancestral workshops, and collective actions—or mutirão, a Portuguese word of Tupi origin meaning communal work—such as the muitiró “Breaking the Asphalt of Hearts and Minds,” which involved breaking the asphalt to plant seeds.
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Maracanã Village’s history of struggle and resistance was shaped into samba for the 2025 Carnival. This ancestral fight inspired carnival designers Raphael Torres and Alexandre Rangel, from the Unidos de Bangu Samba School—one of the oldest and most traditional samba schools in the city—to propose Maracanã Village as the school’s 2025 theme. With “Maraka’anandê Ancestral Resistance,” the oldest samba school in Rio’s West Zone will bring a glimpse of the daily fight of Maracanã Village’s indigenous people against systemic erasure to the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome.
At the end of January, the samba school recorded a segment for Bandeirantes TV featuring school members, village residents, and visitors who come to the site to witness firsthand indigenous strength and resistance in the city. The report reinforces Bangu’s choice of the theme by showcasing a place rich in history and culture, yet still little known to many Rio natives.
However, after months of preparation and high expectations from the Bangu community and the indigenous people of Maracanã Village, a fire at a clothing factory destroyed 60% of the samba school’s costumes. Less than 20 days before the parade at the Sambadrome, Maximus Factory—where Gold Series samba schools build their Carnival productions—was consumed by flames. As a result, Liga RJ, the organization responsible for the Gold Series parades, decided that the affected schools—Unidos de Bangu, Império Serrano, and Unidos da Ponte—would be classified as hors concours. This means they will parade with remaining resources, without competing in the championship. They will neither face relegation to the Silver Series nor have the chance to be promoted to the Special Group this Carnival. The decision was made to prevent further harm to the schools impacted by the fire.
Despite the fire and attempts at forced eviction, Unidos de Bangu and Maracanã Village keep resisting!
About the Author: Dayse Alves is a teacher and a grassroots communicator trained by the Núcleo Piratininga de Comunicação (NPC), born and raised in Duque de Caxias.