Vale do Anhangabaú

About this place

The Anhangabaú Valley is a wide open space at the heart of historic São Paulo, covering about 43,000 square metres between the Chá and Santa Ifigênia viaducts and marking the line between the «Old Centre» and the «New Centre». It was once the valley of a small river of the same name; the river was covered over and the valley became a broad promenade above a road junction that people cross between the east and west of downtown. From the valley you see some of the city's emblems: the Martinelli skyscraper, the Theatro Municipal, the Matarazzo building that houses city hall, and the Altino Arantes tower. It is also the city's great stage: on 16 April 1984 about 1.5 million people gathered here for the «Diretas Já» rally demanding direct presidential elections, the largest public gathering in Brazil's history, and the yearly Virada Cultural puts on shows here. The space is always open and best crossed by day on a walk between the Theatro Municipal, the São Bento monastery and the Municipal Market, keeping an eye on belongings as anywhere downtown.