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December 28, 2024 marks the 142nd anniversary of the founding of the capital of Acre, Rio Branco. The city, which emerged from Seringal Volta da Empreza, currently with 364,756 inhabitants, according to the 2022 Census, concentrates the majority of the State’s population and stands out as the westernmost capital of Brazil.
Rio Branco Palace, seat of the government of Acre, with its unique architecture that mixes classical and art deco elements, a historic landmark of the capital of Acre/Photo: Reproduction
Although it is a capital considered young in relation to other capitals in the country, Rio Branco was founded on the banks of the Acre River, by Neutel Maia from Ceará. According to the story, the gameleira tree caught the attention of Neutel Maia, who decided to found a rubber plantation close to the tree, in what we now know as the Second District. He then opened another rubber plantation, called Seringal Empreza, where the First District is located.
Walkway and metallic bridge in Rio Branco, symbols of the city’s infrastructure and connectivity, reflecting the growth and development of the capital/Photo: Reproduction
Seringal Volta da Empreza began to become a city in 1904, with the definitive annexation of Acre to Brazil. At the time, it was elevated to the category of Villa Rio Branco, now named in honor of José Paranhos, the Baron of Rio Branco, then head of Brazilian diplomacy and main articulator of the Petrópolis treaty, which put an end to the dispute over Acre territory between Brazilians and Bolivians.
Rua 17 de Novembro, in the Second District of Rio Branco/Photo: Reproduction
With the new name, it became the headquarters of the Alto Acre department. In 1909, Rio Branco began to be called Penápolis, in honor of the then President of the Republic Afonso Pena, but the name did not take hold because, in 1912, it was renamed Villa Rio Branco. In 1913, Rio Branco was elevated to the category of municipality. In 1920, it became the capital of the territory of Acre and, in 1962, the capital of the State, with the right to elect its mayor by direct vote.
Rubber rafts go down the Acre River, close to Gameleira/Photo: Archive/Museu da Borracha
Currently, Rio Branco is the largest and most populous city in Acre, being the main financial, corporate, political and cultural center of the state. Its territorial area is 8,834.942 km², making it the fifth municipality in the state in territorial size. The capital of Acre gained its first masonry building in 1927, with Hugo Carneiro, who built the Mercado Velho, on the banks of the Acre River, but what was, in fact, best known was the Palácio Rio Branco.
The project for the construction of the new palace made by architect Massler, hired especially for this purpose/Photo: Archive
Rio Branco Palace
The Rio Branco Palace, seat of the Acre government, located in Rio Branco was built in 1930. The large white building in the center of the capital draws attention for its different architecture than the others. The building reinterprets classic elements, mixing them with those of the modern art deco movement.
At the end of the 1920s, Pará politician Hugo Carneiro was appointed to serve as governor of Acre and Rio Branco had a different aesthetic than today. One of those responsible for the change was Carneiro.
The Government of the State of Acre is one of the first to adopt the new law/Photo: Reproduction
One of these changes took place on the second anniversary of Hugo Carneiro’s government, when on June 15, 1929, the cornerstone of the Rio Branco Palace was laid. Opened still unfinished in 1930, the building was completely completed during the Guiomard Santos government.
Currently, Palácio Rio Branco serves as the headquarters of the Acre government, with offices on the second floor. On the first floor, there is a Museum with the history of the Rubber Cycle, People of the Forest and Chico Mendes, as well as details on the history of the Palace.
