Irajá, a neighborhood in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, has a small hill called Monte Escada de Jacó, which was formerly used by drug traffickers for the communication system known as "microwave." Today, the site has transformed into a stronghold of faith, frequented mainly by neo-Pentecostal evangelicals, where services, Bible studies, and prayers are held in various corners of the hill. On the Saturday when the report was visited, the site was quite crowded, with a fair of religious items forming around it.
The neighborhood also has military history, having been the site of a military fort. Irajá almost became an autonomous city, but this never materialized.
In 1711, Rio de Janeiro was invaded by French privateers led by René Duguay-Trouin. The governor of the time, Francisco de Castro Morais, known as "Vaca" (Cow), underestimated the enemy's firepower and ended up having to flee the city, in a situation described as "every man for himself."
The French leader Duguay-Trouin made a clear demand: either the city would pay with gold and cattle, or it would be burned. The situation worked like a typical kidnapping. The residents organized a sort of collection to pay the amount demanded by the invaders.
