The story in brief
A president who almost never took office promises fifty years in five, and a capital in the middle of the savanna, a dream older than the country. An urbanist draws it on a few sheets, an architect fills it with curves, and thousands of candangos build it in 41 months. On 21 April 1960, it is born. The bill comes later.
The chapters
-
Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free
Fifty Years in Five
The forts fire on the president’s ship. At stake: the inauguration of a man who promises fifty years in five.
Sources: Constitution of 1946; Agência Senado
-
Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free
The Old Dream
A question at a rally in Goiás digs up a dream almost two centuries old.
Sources: Constitution of 1891, art. 3; Chamber of Deputies
-
Chapter 3 · 5 min
The Pilot Plan
An architect who says he isn’t competing wins with a few freehand drawings.
Sources: Report on the Pilot Plan (1957); IPHAN
-
Chapter 4 · 5 min
The Candangos
Tens of thousands arrive by truck to raise a capital. Not all of them go home.
Sources: Law no. 3,273 (1957); IBGE, 1959 census
-
Chapter 5 · 5 min
21 April 1960
The capital is born at a midnight Mass. Four years later, the man who made it is thrown out of politics.
Sources: Decree of 8 June 1964; IGP-DI (FGV)
Who’s who
The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.
- Henrique LottGeneral · Legalist · Minister of War
- Luiz CrulsAstronomer · Explorer · Surveyor of the Plateau
- Lúcio CostaArchitect · Urban Planner · Author of the Pilot Plan
- Israel PinheiroEngineer · President of Novacap · First Mayor
- Oscar NiemeyerArchitect · Poet of the Curve · Builder of Palaces
- Juscelino KubitschekDoctor · President · Founder of Brasília
What you’ll be able to tell
This story belongs to the journey “The Twentieth Century”. By the end of it, you can tell why Vargas left the presidency “to enter history”, and how the Real ended a decade of runaway prices.
Stories in this journey
Sources
- Constitution of 1891, art. 3
- Constitution of 1946, art. 83
- Law no. 2,874 (1956)
- Law no. 3,273 (1957)
- Report on the Pilot Plan (1957)
- Decree of 8 June 1964
