Amazonia Theaters

The property consists of two component parts: The Theatro da Paz and the Praça da República in Belém, and the Teatro Amazonas and the Largo de São Sebastião in Manaus. These were built in the States of Pará and Amazonas in Brazil during the Amazonian ‘Golden Age’ as a result of the economic peak of the Rubber Cycle between 1879 and 1912. Inspired by French and European architecture and decorated with motifs evoking the Amazon, these ensembles were designed as symbols of political and urban ambition. Inaugurated in 1878 and 1889, the Theatro da Paz and the Praça da República asserted the strategic role of the city of Belém as a port and State capital and celebrated the Brazilian Republic, while the Teatro Amazonas, inaugurated in 1896, was part of the large-scale urban development of Manaus during the rubber boom and, along with the Largo de São Sebastião, expressed the wealth and prestige of the future capital of the Amazon.