Duque de Caxias Square
Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 1954
Landscape architect: Roberto Burle Marx
Municipal listing
Largo do Machado occupies the area that was once the Suruí lagoon, also called Carioca lagoon or Sacopiranha, which was formed by water from the Carioca river. Located on the border of the Flamengo, Laranjeiras and Catete neighbourhoods, in the south of Rio de Janeiro, it has undergone several renovations since its construction in the 17th century, including one carried out by Burle Marx in the 1950s. A landscaping project that preserved and valued the existing vegetation was implemented, creating organically shaped flower beds accompanied to sinuous benches, both combined with an exclusive floor design made with Portuguese stones in black, white and red.
Today the Largo do Machado is a place with a large circulation of people, and its surroundings are home to an intense commercial flow, with markets and other activities. It is a public space accessed by different groups, a point of reference, a place to stay and a passage to other parts of the city, thanks in part to the Largo do Machado underground station. Parts of Burle Marx’s project are now lost.
