Earth from Above

Today on Facebook someone posted this link to Earth from Above.  It was fascinating viewing, but the picture that most intrigued me was the one of the Favelas in Rio de Janeiro.   First, because I had no idea what a Favelas was.   So I went to dictionary.com and looked it up.  Then I went to Google images and did a search for favelas.   And I began to work my way through the images reading what they had to say. Some of those images showed what the dwellings looked like somewhat better than the original photo I saw in Earth from Above.

This one is from Smart Travel Info.

Secondly, because I am intrigued by how so many people live such completely different lives than anything I've come close to experiencing.    

Smart Travel Info suggests that no trip to Rio de Janeiro is complete without a trip to the favelas, but warns that this is a tour that should only take place with a guide who knows the area well.

On my travels through Rio, I found the Favelas to be one of the most intriguing and emotionally arresting places in all of Rio. I encourage all who are traveling to this amazing city to take the time to take a tour up into these widely misunderstood cultural hubs of Brazil, and you will see that not all that is said about them is true.

 Other information from Smart Travel includes:

Few people have had the chance to see the intricacies of a social structure that balances on the edge of the machete, and understand the true nature of the people that live there. From this side of the looking glass their world appears base and brutal, but if you step through and look from the other side, you will find that the majority of people are out to make an honest living, yet cannot afford the bustling metropolis that is downtown Rio. They move here because they do not have to pay tax on their houses, they have access to free electricity and water, and they have nowhere else to go. Most of them are not interested in purchasing drugs, nor are they compelled to, as long as they follow the rules under the strict hand of the drug lords, who will not tolerate theft or violence amongst their own residents so that the paths for trafficking between them and the outside remains open and clear. In fact, it is often heard that the man who shakes your hand in the Favela will be the man who robs you on the streets of Rio. If you are a tourist visiting one of the many Favelas close to the city, firstly, always take a tour guide with you to ensure your safety.

Global Informal Settlements provides information and a video about the development of favelas.

I also went to You Tube and found a series of videos on the favelas that were called Favela Rising: Brazilian Documentary  There are 10 segments to the documentary.  I didn't watch them all.   This is the first one:

Then there was Wikipedia's description and history.