Downtown São Paulo will receive a statue honoring Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira, an enslaved Black 18th-century architect known as Tebas. The announcement was made yesterday, September 10, by Mayor Bruno Covas at the São Paulo City Council.
Tebas "was a builder who arrived in São Paulo enslaved, coming from Santos, brought by a Portuguese master mason who identified a work opportunity in the city," says journalist Abilio Ferreira, editor of the book Tebas: um negro arquiteto na São Paulo escravocrata. Once he gained his freedom at the age of 58, he turned his skill in carving stone blocks into a trade in building construction.
An expert in this craft, Tebas had a decisive influence on São Paulo's architecture, which until then was characterized by the use of rammed earth (taipa)—a technique that prevented aesthetic boldness. His work was highly sought after, especially by the religious orders present in the city since its founding, leading him to work on the facades of the churches of the Ordem 3ª do Carmo and Chagas do Seráfico Pai São Francisco, as well as on the ornamentation of the São Bento Monastery and the Sé Cathedral.
Only in 2018—more than 200 years after his death on January 11, 1811—was Tebas's profession officially recognized. Based on official documents gathered by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), the Architects' Union of the State of São Paulo (Sasp) recognized that Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira was, in fact, an architect, and honored his contribution to the history of São Paulo's architecture.
In addition to the statue celebrating Tebas's work, Covas presented a bill that aims to name the 12 new Unified Educational Centers (CEUs) after Black personalities connected to Brazilian history.
Sources: G1 and Casa Vogue.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
