🌊 Várzea do Carmo

Várzea do Carmo was the designation of one of the central areas of the city of São Paulo, adjacent to the Carmel Convent and frequently affected by the floods of the Tamanduateí River, formerly known as Piratininga. In 1821, Major Pedro Arbues Moreira submitted to the government a proposal to drain the Várzea do Carmo by opening a 40-meter-wide canal; the work was not carried out as it was too expensive. Many improvements were made to the site during the presidencies of Vicente Pires da Mota and João Teodoro Xavier, including the change in the course of the Tamanduateí River.