39. Ladeiras of Bahia

This one is the ladeira¹  of Água Brusca (Sudden Water). Down below, it leads to the well-known Água de Meninos market, the water of the little boys. The origin of this strange name has raised intriguing interpretations! Água de Meninos market! An incredible symphony (or cacophony) of shapes, colors, sounds, movements, and also, unfortunately, smells.

Ladeiras of Bahia that witness the coming and going of animals and people, donkeys and their owners, blacks and mulattoes, young and old, empty baskets and full baskets, carrying baskets, baskets on the head. Oh! the Tabuleiro da Baiana²! and blacks and mulattoes, the ladies and the servants, the donkeys and their owners, the soldiers and the bums, the tradesmen and the sailors, all, men and women, go up and down, up and down, up and down tirelessly the ladeiras of Bahia.
1. Steep Street. 2. Tray where the Baiana exposes her meals, including acarajé.