Brazil's Amazonia Theaters Earn UNESCO World Heritage Status
Built during the rubber boom, the two late-19th-century theaters reflect Brazil’s push to modernize the Amazon and now join UNESCO’s heritage list.
- On Monday, UNESCO added Brazil's Theatro da Paz and Teatro Amazonas to its World Heritage List, recognizing the two buildings in Belem and Manaus as legacies of the Amazon's "Golden Age."
- Built during the late 19th-century rubber boom, the theaters blend European architectural influences with local materials and serve as "symbols of political and urban ambition," UNESCO said.
- UNESCO recognition extends to the theaters' respective public squares, Praca da Republica and Largo de Sao Sebastiao, creating a "distinctive aesthetic that was at once cosmopolitan and deeply Amazonian."
- The World Heritage designation provides special protection and potential tourism boosts, bringing Brazil's total UNESCO World Heritage sites to 26 as the committee meets in Busan, South Korea.
- While celebrating the "Golden Age," historians note the rubber boom also brought forced labor that decimated Indigenous populations; the Amazon region continues hosting the Central Amazon Conservation Complex at the Negro and Solimoes rivers.
33 Articles
33 Articles
The Theatro da Paz, in Belém, and the Teatro Amazonas, in Manaus, were born during the boom of rubber. But the bonanza lasted only a few decades and was interrupted by the betrayal of a British explorer. His legacy has just been recognized by Unesco.
Los Angeles Times
Independent EspañolThe UN cultural agency, UNESCO, added two theaters from the Brazilian Amazon to its World Heritage List on Monday.
Artful ceiling paintings characterize the magnificent theatres in the north of Brazil. Now they are honored by Unesco. They are inspired by European architecture – whoever looks closely even finds the Eiffel Tower in it.
Two historic theaters of the Brazilian Amazon were included in the Unesco World Heritage List, in recognition of its architectural value and its link to the era of splendour that the region experienced during the rubber fever.
Brazil's Amazonia theaters earn UNESCO World Heritage status
The two buildings, located in the cities of Belem and Manaus respectively, are a legacy of the Amazon region's "Golden Age," the United Nations agency said. Both played a significant role in the Amazon's rubber boom in the late 19th and early 20th century, it added. This period, running from 1879 to 1912, brought unprecedented economic wealth to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest. But historians point out that the boom also brou…
Teatro Amazonas and Theatro da Paz, erected at the height of the rubber cycle, are listed by UNESCO. Brazil has 26 sites recognized as World Heritage.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
