Madalena Cactirium, Internacional Square
Recife (PE), 1935
Landscape architect: Roberto Burle Marx
Euclides da Cunha Square received its name as an homage for the author of the book Rebellion in the Backlands. It is located at the Madalena neighbourhood, in Recife, and is also known as Madalena Cactirium because it highlights one of the characteristics of Burle Marx’s landscape design: a typical species of the Caatinga biome, collected on excursions through the backlands. Formerly known as the Largo do Viveiro, the square houses a cactus garden and a cattle driver sculpture in its centre, a reference to the region’s culture.
At the time director of Parks and Recreation at Recife’s townhall, Burle Marx created with this project his first ecological garden, and it is also his work from that time in the best state of conservation. The landscaping project was involved with the social and physical functions of a square as a place for conviviality and contemplation. It uses vegetation capable of casting shadows to protect people from the sun, in harmony with the cacti. Burle Marx uses native plants at a time when they were almost never used in public environments in the city; and when commenting on the garden at Euclides da Cunha Square, in an article published in the newspaper Diário da Tarde, Burle Marx expresses the need to “sow, in our parks and gardens, the Brazilian soul”.
