Liberdade
Until the late 19th century, Liberdade was known as "Campo da Forca" (Field of the Gallows), and it served as a place where enslaved people and criminals were sentenced to execution. There is a famous story that one day a man who was being sent to be executed ran away and screamed, “liberdade, liberdade, liberdade” (liberty, liberty. liberty). Executions were carried out in Campo da Forca until 1891, and the square was renamed Liberdade.
Brazil has the highest number of people of Japanese descent outside of Japan. Japanese settlers first arrived in the area in 1912. This was due, in part, to the fact that nearly every home in the area had a basement, which allowed for the extremely low cost of rent by accommodating several families. Workers could move about with ease because of its placement. As a result of the commercial activities that started to spring up in the early 20th century to cater to this immigrant population, Liberdade earned the moniker "the Japanese street" and became home to hostels, marketplaces selling imported products, a house that made tofu, another that made manjū (a Japanese dessert), and other businesses that created jobs. The first São Paulo Metro line, Line 1, included the Liberdade subway station when it was built in the 1970s, changing the area's urban makeup.
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