Uncovering a lost burial ground in Rio

Summary

Witness History: Uncovering a Lost Burial Ground in Rio

Date: May 13, 2026
Host: Julia Carneiro
Guest: Mercedes Guimarães dos Anjos

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Episode Overview

In this moving episode, host Julia Carneiro brings listeners to Rio de Janeiro, 1996, where a routine home renovation uncovered the forgotten “new black cemetery”—a burial ground for enslaved Africans. Through the memories and testimony of Merced Guimarães dos Anjos, the woman who made the discovery, the episode vividly explores the hidden and painful chapters of Brazilian history, the struggle for remembrance, and ongoing efforts to confront the legacy of slavery.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Discovery (00:04–02:37)

• Merced’s Dream Home Turns Mysterious

  • Newly married with children, Merced describes her longing for a big house. She’d lived in Rio’s harbor since childhood and bought an old house with her husband, hoping to expand for their family (00:35).
  • On the first day of renovations, workers uncover numerous human bones. Initially, they’re mistaken for animal remains, but key findings—a dental arch—tell a different story:
    • “I found an adult's dental arch... this isn't a dog’s, it’s a person’s. Look, it’s just like ours.”
      — Merced (01:30)
  • Shock and speculation follow, with wild theories about murder and hidden crimes.

• Historical Context Unveiled

  • A neighbor reveals the true significance: the house stands atop a mass grave for enslaved Africans, buried anonymously after enduring horrific conditions at the nearby port and slave market.
    • “You live over a cemetery. You’ve just discovered the cemetery of the enslaved people.”
      — Neighbor to Merced (02:37)

History of the ‘New Black’ Cemetery (02:54–04:26)

• A Site of Suffering and Forgotten Histories
  • Tens of thousands—possibly up to 40,000—were interred from the late 1700s to around 1830. Burials included children and pregnant women, mostly from various African regions.
  • Brazil received more enslaved Africans than any other place in the Americas, with Rio as its largest slave entry point.
    • “Today I say that there I found the Holocaust, the black Holocaust. It’s a part of history that we didn’t read about at school.”
      — Merced (03:18)
  • The term “pretos novos” (“new blacks”) referred to recently arrived, non-Portuguese-speaking Africans.

Aftermath: Family Displacement and Founding of the Institute (04:26–06:48)

• Immediate Impact

  • Construction is halted; the family is forced out as the home becomes a protected heritage site. Official investigation stalls, leaving the family in limbo and afraid of losing their home.
    • “We faced quite an ordeal because it was a heritage site. But with people living on top... nothing was done to investigate the site.”
      — Merced (05:01)

• Personal Responsibility and Activism

  • Restless, Merced begins hosting visitors, spreading awareness of the site’s troubling history.
  • On Abolition Day, May 13, 2005, the family helps found the “New Blacks Research and Memory Institute” (Instituto dos Pretos Novos, IPN).
    • The IPN becomes a hub for education and remembrance, attracting over 300,000 visitors.

• Living Memorial

  • Merced walks the host through the exhibition hall, featuring history panels and a floor window exposing the burial layer—packed with human remains.
  • “This moment brings back memories from my encounter with people who came from Africa. And they somehow asked me not to allow them to be forgotten.”
    — Merced (06:48)

Legacy, Culture, and Struggle for Memory (07:04–08:50)

• Vibrant Center for Afro-Brazilian Culture

  • The institute features art, music (like live samba), and Afro-Brazilian rituals—a testament to resilience and a counterweight to erasure.

• Wider Recognition & Continuing Challenges

  • Discovery at Valongo Wharf in preparation for the 2016 Olympics leads to UNESCO declaring it a World Heritage Site in 2017.
  • Despite increased recognition, funding is precarious and there’s a societal reluctance to fully confront this painful past.
    • “The pain doesn’t interest them. They are interested in the upbeat, the festive, the samba. Of course, the samba is important, but before samba, there is pain. It’s a struggle.”
      — Merced (08:08)
    • “I’m a white person fighting against our society’s perverse racism. They don’t want to keep the story alive.”
      — Merced (08:17)

• Enduring Mission

  • When asked if she feels accomplished:
    • “Not yet. I’m far from that. This is very fragile. If we let a day go past without talking about this, the memory will fade.”
      — Merced (08:37)

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Memorable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:30 | Merced | “I found an adult's dental arch... this isn't a dog’s, it’s a person’s. Look, it’s just like ours.” | | 02:37 | Neighbor| “You live over a cemetery. You’ve just discovered the cemetery of the enslaved people.”| | 03:18 | Merced | “Today I say that there I found the Holocaust, the black Holocaust. It’s a part of history that we didn’t read about at school.”| | 05:01 | Merced | “We faced quite an ordeal because it was a heritage site. But with people living on top... nothing was done to investigate the site.”| | 06:48 | Merced | “This moment brings back memories from my encounter with people who came from Africa. And they somehow asked me not to allow them to be forgotten.”| | 08:08 | Merced | “The pain doesn’t interest them. They are interested in the upbeat, the festive, the samba. Of course, the samba is important, but before samba, there is pain. It’s a struggle.”| | 08:17 | Merced | “I’m a white person fighting against our society’s perverse racism. They don’t want to keep the story alive.”| | 08:37 | Merced | “Not yet. I’m far from that. This is very fragile. If we let a day go past without talking about this, the memory will fade.”|

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Notable Moments & Timestamps

• Dark Discovery—Finding the first bones (01:02–01:30)
• Realization of Historical Significance (02:14–02:54)
• Reflection on Systemic Erasure (03:18–03:39)
• Institute’s Foundation (05:18–05:40)
• Exhibition and Living Legacy (06:00–07:04)
• Painful Truth vs. Festive Culture (08:08–08:29)
• A Mission Never Finished (08:29–08:50)

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Final Reflection

This episode offers a personal and poignant window into how ordinary lives intersect with the neglected sites and stories of history. At once a tale of shock, activism, and remembrance, it’s a call to continually confront and honor the difficult legacies beneath our cities—and not let memory be buried.

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For more on the New Blacks Research and Memory Institute (IPN), search their official channels for current exhibitions and historical projects.

Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to Witness History from the BBC World Service with me, Juliairo. I'm taking you back to January 8, 1996, when Merced Guimaraes dos Anjus began renovations on her house in Rio de Janeiro and uncovered a dark chapter of Brazilian history. Just a warning this episode contains distressing details. It all started with a middle class dream.

[B]

I got married, had three daughters, and each of them had a pet. So we really wanted a big house with space for them to play and run around.

[A]

Merced had lived in Rio's harbor area since she was a girl. She and her husband Petrusio, bought an old house there, built in 1866. After six years living there, they saved enough money to renovate it.

[B]

On the first day of renovations, they were digging holes for pillars to build a second floor. And they found these bones. So Jose, the bricklayer, he sat next to me at lunch and said, look in the holes we were digging. We found a lot of bones. The old owners must have buried dogs in the backyard. I said, well, that's odd. Can you show me? I started to go through the rubble and I found an adult's dental arch. I told him, serge, this isn't a dog's, it's a person's. Look, it's just like ours. And he made the sign of the cross. Then I found another dental arch and said, so, Jose, this is a child's. He started to cry. Everyone stood there staring. We were like, my God, what is this? We started to think, oh, the old owners of the house killed people and buried them. Oh, no, it was a serial killer. A million things cross our minds.

[A]

That evening, Message called a neighbor familiar with the history of the harbor area. She didn't know that two centuries back, a wharf just down the road from her house was the entry point for around a million enslaved people from Africa sold in slave markets in the vicinity. The neighbor showed her a map with a path to a graveyard.

[B]

We had no idea of the story. He told me, you live over a cemetery. You've just discovered the cemetery of the enslaved people. And I said, oh, my God, what do I do?

[A]

Mercede had uncovered the new black cemetery, where historians estimate tens of thousands of people were buried. Brazil received more enslaved people from Africa than any other place in the Americas. Around 4.8 million people. And according to recent studies, Rio was once Brazil's largest slavery. Portugal.

[B]

Today I say that there I found the Holocaust, the black Holocaust. It's a part of history that we didn't read about at school. We would learn that Brazil Was inhabited by indigenous people. And that there were slaves in the past. That doesn't stink, does it? We knew nothing about the reality of how bad it was.

[A]

The term pretus novus, or new blacks. Referred to enslaved people recently trafficked to Brazil who couldn't speak Portuguese yet. The makeshift burial ditch beneath Mercedes home was used from the late 1700s until around 1830.

[B]

It lies beneath four houses. Today, it's a place with around 40,000 people. Among which there were bodies of babies, girls, boys, teenagers, women, including pregnant women. They came from Mozambique, Congo, Angola, Some from Ivory Coast. And when they disembarked, they were almost dead.

[A]

Conditions on board slave ships were so appalling, Historians estimate that hundreds of thousands died even before landing in Rio. Many died soon after, Weakened by malnutrition and diseases like smallpox and dysentery. Merced had a hard time sleeping that night. The next morning, she called the city hall. When officials saw the archaeological remains, they suspended any further construction work. And so the family had to move out temporarily.

[B]

We faced quite an ordeal because it was a heritage site. But with people living on top, we were banned from continuing the building works. But nothing was done to investigate the site. And so we feared that authorities would seize our home.

[A]

After three years like this, the family decided to move back in and resume renovations covertly. But Merced was restless with all that history underground. She started inviting visitors in to share her discovery. And the word spread. On May 13, 2005, abolition day, the family, together with friends and activists, Founded the New Blacks Research and Memory Institute. As of last year, the site has received around 300,000 visitors. Today, Merced is 69 years old. And has long retired from the family business she used to run. Merced shows me the exhibition hall with panels about the history of slavery. And two windows on the floor so you can see down into the archaeological site. Underground, the earth is intermeshed with countless pieces of human bones. The family lives next door, in the same old house. Tonight, the opening of an art show starts with the Hoda de Samba live samba music. The institute is a vibrant center for research, education and Afro Brazilian culture. Surrounded by visitors, Mesage looks back over the 30 years since her finding.

[B]

This moment brings back memories from my encounter with people who came from Africa. And they somehow asked me not to allow them to be forgotten.

[A]

Maria Augusta or Donna Gu plays the Atabaki, the tall wooden hand drum of Afro Brazilian religions. The exhibition hall is filled with paintings of black women who uphold Afro Brazilian traditions. By artist Daumoni Ligijosi. Mercede's discovery turned out to be the tip of an iceberg. Fifteen years later, when the city was redeveloping the harbor area for the Rio Olympics, archaeologists dug up the nearby Valongo Wharf, the old slavery port. In 2017, UNESCO recognized the wharf as a World Heritage Site. The region is known as Little Africa, and guided tours lead people to learn about its history and celebrate Afro Brazilian culture. But Merced believes that the lack of consistent public funding for the institute reflects a wider reluctance to confront this history.

[B]

The pain doesn't interest them. They are interested in the upbeat, the festive, the samba. Of course, the samba is important, but before samba, there is pain. It's a struggle. I'm a white person fighting against our society's perverse racism. They don't want to keep the story alive.

[A]

Do you have a feeling of accomplishment that you've fulfilled your mission?

[B]

Not yet. I'm far from that. This is very fragile. If we let a day go past without talking about this, the memory will fade.

[A]

Mercedes Guimaraenz dos Anjos was speaking to me. Julia Carneiro for Witness History from the BBC World Service. It was an overcoat media production. If you'd like to find out more about the New Blacks Research and Memory Institute, search for their website and social media channels using their acronym IPN for Instituto Dospretos Navus. If you've enjoyed listening, do leave us a review and please share it with anyone you think would like to hear this. It helps us to spread the important stories people tell us on Witness History. Make sure you hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts.