Climbing in Urban Rio de Janeiro

The story of Jonas Silva, one of the most dedicated students in a climbing school located in the largest slum of Rio de Janeiro



For Jonas Silva, climbing is not a given. He lives in Rocinha, the largest slum of Rio de Janeiro, an area that has grown from a tangle of wooden shacks into a collection of more than one million people. Although there was no planning during Rocinha's infancy, it now has its own stores, even a bank. And above this jumble of civilization and commerce are high granite cliffs. It is here that Jonas spends his free time. Led by a teacher at the local climbing school (Centro de Escalada Urbana), he has grown as a climber, becoming one of the best at the school. But he may not be able to continue the sport forever. "I tell him, at some point he will have to give it up to go work," his mother says.