In the early 17th century, the wealthy colonist João Velho Barreto had a large expanse of land that acquired the name of ‘Mondego’. This name surely must have been given by one of the Lusitanian colonisers to recall the fields of Mondego in Portugal. A description of the place was made by Luís de Camões in the Lusíadas, when the poet versed on the beautiful fields of Mondego in the episode on the death of Dona Inês de Castro.
The Mondego lands originally belonged to the farm of Henrique Dias, situated beyond the Mondego farm in Salinas, in the Cathedral of Olinda parish.
Another early reference to the Mondego site refers to a straight open road of regular width whose first section was called Rua do Mondego. A large and imposing building with two floors was built there. On the initiative of the landowner – Dona Ana Maria dos Anjos – a chapel was built on that road, under the invocation of the Holy Family and St John. Construction on the chapel began in 1755, but was completed only in 1888.
Serving as the temporary residence of Pernambuco Governor – General Luís do Rego Barreto (1817–1821) – people dubbed the building ‘Mondego Palace’. In front of this palace was a walled farm, from which ran a lane to the Trempe da Soledade. In 1818, on the plastered and whitewashed wall of the farm, seven words appear written:
Tem cautela, Rego [Be careful, Rego]
Não passes do Mondego… [Go not down Mondego]
The news then spread that two individuals were waiting for a good opportunity to shoot the general and governor. Today, it is known the threat was related to reaction of the 1817 revolutionaries against Luís do Rego Barreto. 1831 brought many political upheavals, both in the State of Pernambuco and in the country. In Recife, there is the historical Setembrizada undertaken by insubordinate soldiers who broke into, looted and committed numerous atrocities in private homes and commercial establishments.
The fights lasted three days (14, 15 and 16 September 1831), leaving a large number of dead, but the insubordinates were defeated. Gilberto Freyre documents that much blood was spilled during the looting of Recife, and the soldiers were not in the least bit fazed to kill and steal.
The numerous victims were buried outside the city limits on the Mondego farm. From then on, people started to say that the place had become haunted, perhaps because a large number of victims had been buried there.
It can be seen through this episode how a true fact becomes legend through the popular imagination. The following story spread: during the night, whoever passed the place would hear a boy crying.
So after the Setembrizada revolt in 1831, the region became known as Chora Menino [Crying Boy]. The site in question was on the border of the parishes of Boa Vista and Graças (on the road to the old Passagem da Madalena).
In 1843, a periodical in Recife appeared called Chora Menino. An excerpt of the first issue, published on May 29, said the following:
The Chora-Menino’s objective is to record the tricks and betrayals of liberal hypocrites, those who have been the cause of untimely revolutions, leading to the spilling of Brazilian blood, in spite of all divine and human laws, as well as in the place mentioned above, from which this periodical derives its title ...
Two other pieces of information about the place: the Mondego Road was renamed Rua Visconde de Goiana; and the Mondego Palace served as the College of the Salesian Fathers.
Maybe to stay in the memory of Pernambuco, a small piece of land in Paissandu that belonged to the Mondego farm was called Chora Menino Park. A lithograph by Luis Schlappriz in 1863 documents the costumes and the people of the time in the Park.
Today, the piece of land originally called Chora Menino is in the urban perimeter of Recife. It makes up part of a major thoroughfare – Rua Paissandu – in which many passers-by roam. You can see then that today the place no longer holds any fear for anyone.
Recife, 24 July 2003.
sources consulted
COSTA, F. A. Pereira da. Arredores do Recife. Recife: Fundação de Cultura Cidade do Recife, 1981.
________. Arredores do Recife. Recife: Editora Massangana, 2001.
FRANCA, Rubem. Monumentos do Recife. Recife: Secretaria de Educação e Cultura, 1977.
FREYRE, Gilberto. Tempo de aprendiz - artigos publicados em jornais na adolescência e na primeira mocidade do autor: 1918-1926. São Paulo: Ibrasa; Brasília: INL, 1979.v. 2.
GALVÃO, Sebastião de Vasconcellos. Diccionario chronografico, histórico e estatístico. Rio de Janeiro: Imprensa Nacional, 1908.
SEM o status de bairro. Jornal do Commercio, Recife, 19 de fev. 2000. Caderno Cidades, p. 5.
how to quote this text
VAINSENCHER, Semira Adler. Chora Menino (localidade e praça, Recife). In: Pesquisa Escolar. Recife: Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, 2003. Available at:https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/artigo/chora-menino-locality-and-park-recife/. Accessed: month day year. (Exemple.: Aug. 6, 2023.)