Located along one of the loudest streets in the entire city is the first public cemetery of São Paulo. Interred inside are many of the richest families from the “coffee with milk” period (alluding to São Paulo’s coffee industry and Minas Gerais’s dairy), along with many of the city’s artistic elite. 

In 1858, the Emperor’s Institutional Act was passed with a goal of ending the practice of burials taking place in and around churches. It was implemented to prevent the spread of infectious diseases from these practices, and thus lead to the creation of the Cemitério da Consolação.

Following the opening of two other cemeteries, the Cemitério da Consolação became almost exclusively for the city’s aristocratic families. The expensive and modern tombs signified wealth and power. There is also a vast collection of funerary art inside by well-known artists such as Victor Brecheret and Ramos de Azevedo.