Outside of the Bumbódromo stadium are bas-reliefs, sculptures and murals of indigenous people and their legends. This maiden with yellow-spotted river turtles is a beautiful example. The artwork was created by Fábio Martins and Augusto Tavares. The background painting reflects the harmony the Sateré-Mawé enjoyed with the Amazon Rainforest prior to their first encounter with Europeans in 1669. For the next 300 years, their population and territories dwindled by the exploitation of forest land for farming, the harvesting of rubber, rosewood (pau-rosa) and minerals plus the expansion of cities. In 1978, their protected land was demarcated. Today, some Indians are in remote river villages and maintain many of their ancestral customs while others live in poor urban neighborhoods.
