Portuguese pavement in Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro.

Portuguese pavement (Portuguese, Calçada Portuguesa), is the traditional paving used in most pedestrian areas in Portugal and former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Macau. Being usually used in sidewalks, it is in plazas and atriums this art finds its deepest expression. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1800 pixel, file size: 564 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1800 pixel, file size: 564 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: , Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor César Maia (Democrats) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ... This article is about the American English usage of pavement as the durable surfacing of roads and walkways. ... Look up Pedestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

One of the most distinctive uses of this paving technique is that of the Copacabana beach sidewalk in Rio de Janeiro, designed as a black-and-white waves pattern. Aerial view of Copacabana from the Sugarloaf Mountain For other uses, see Copacabana (disambiguation). ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: , Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor César Maia (Democrats) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ...

Origins

Paving as a craft is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, where rocky materials were used in the inside and outside of constructions, being later brought to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, and parts of eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and southwest Iran. ... The Temple of Athena, the Parthenon Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around nine hundred years. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ...

The Romans used to pave the vias connecting the empire using materials to be found in the surroundings. Some of the techniques introduced then are still applied on the Calçada, most noticeably the use of a foundation and a surfacing. For the one-off TV Drama, see Roman Road (TV Drama) A Roman road in Pompeii. ...

Arab presence in the Iberian Peninsula left traces in the art of paving. To provide much needed water to crops, the Moors engineered a complex system of dams and waterways. Examples of the latter, known as acequias, can still be found in Portugal and Spain. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... The Moors are the Muslim African and Arab inhabitants of the western Mediterranean and western Sahara, including the Maghreb (the coastal and mountain lands of present day Morocco and Algeria, and Tunisia although Tunisia often is separately called Ifriqiya after the former Roman province of Africa); al-Andalus (the former... This acequia is a waterway. ...

Setting the stones

Upon a well compacted trench of argillaceous materials, craftsmen lay a bedding of gravel, which will accommodate the stones, acting as a cement.

An unsure future

Very few workers (calceteiros) will admit to enjoying this arduous labour, where long hours are spent painstakingly laying the stones in a prostrated position. Low wages fail to attract apprentices.

Paved sidewalks also present hazards to pedestrians and unpleasant barriers to people with physical impairments.

This method of paving has a high cost and reduced longevity in comparison with concrete-based or bituminous alternatives.

Once an activity performed by hundreds of craftsmen in Portuguese cities and villages, traditional paving is increasingly becoming restricted to conservation works or important architectural projects. Less abundant materials, dwindling numbers of craftsmen and criticism to its widespread use are forcing municipalities to consider other alternatives.

Calçada as a form of art

Stars at your feet at Lisbon Detail of paving work in Lisboa. ...	Lisbon Coat-of-Arms Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 807 KB)Detail of Calçada in Lisboa: the Nau and the Two Crows Photographed by user:rdrs on 27th December 2004. ...	Detail of paving work near Praça de Camões Paving near Praça do Chiado, in Lisboa. ...	Póvoa de Varzim's runes in Praça do Almada Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 359 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License v. ... Siglas Poveiras that serve as a base to most used symbols. ...
The Senado Square's disctinctive tiled pattern in Macau, China Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1728 × 2304 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Senado Square, or Senate Square (Portuguese: ; Chinese: 議事亭前地), is a paved area in the centre of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, in China, enclosed by the building of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office, and St. ...	The Copacabana beach sidewalk pavement in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Image File history File links Rio11. ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: , Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor César Maia (Democrats) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ...	The Ipanema beach sidewalk pavement in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 528 pixelsFull resolution (1588 × 1048 pixel, file size: 270 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo taken in July, 1994. ... Ipanema Beach Ipanema is a neighborhood located on the southern zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: , Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor César Maia (Democrats) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ...

References

• Construction and Makeup of Roman Roads
• Portuguese pavement and its histories (Portuguese language)