Declared a heritage site in 1987 by the State Institute of Cultural Patrimony (INEPAC), Pedra do Sal is a huge stone with a staircase carved into it, one that black slaves sculpted from the rock. It is located at the base of the Morro da Conceição.
The rock used to lie next to the beach until a reclamation project in the early 20th century extended the land of the port zone into the ocean. The spot was named Pedra do Sal – or Salt Rock – because it was here that salt was unloaded from docked ships. From the stone, black people would carry the salt to the community on the hill. Slaves also cut out pieces of stone from Pedra do Sal in the 19th century to build Rio de Janeiro’s roads.
After slavery was abolished, Pedra do Sal became a meeting place for sambistas working on the docks. This was samba’s cradle – or one of samba’s cradles, since the topic is controversial – and it was here that some of the first ranchos carnavalescos marched to music, sowing the first seeds of Rio’s Carnival. Now, the area hosts the Roda de Samba Pedra do Sal (Pedra do Sal Samble Circle) every Monday evening, as well as on other days of the week, bringing together sambistas from the city to make music.