Today Batman’s Alley (Beco do Batman) is one of the most photographed spots in São Paulo. But before the murals, it was just a narrow, poorly lit lane between Rua Gonçalo Afonso and Rua Medeiros de Albuquerque, in Vila Madalena. Here is how the story unfolded, decade by decade.
1970s: “Imporbox” and “Larguinho”
According to the Ziv gallery, located in the alley itself, in the early 1970s the place was known as “Imporbox”, after a metalwork shop making acrylic and aluminum shower enclosures that operated there. Around 1975 it became the “Larguinho” (“the little square”), a meeting point for local kids to play volleyball and soccer and to date.
1980s: the first graffiti and the Batman
In the 1980s, students from USP (the University of São Paulo) started renting houses in Vila Madalena, and the neighborhood attracted artists. One of them was Alex Vallauri (1949-1987), born in Asmara, one of the pioneers of graffiti in Brazil. Together with Zé Carratu, from the Tupinãodá collective, he made the first brushstrokes in the alley.
The name came from a stencil drawing of the Caped Crusader that appeared around the same time. To this day nobody knows who made it. The drawing vanished as mysteriously as it appeared, but the nickname “Beco do Batman” (Batman’s Alley) stuck.
1990s and 2000s: competition for the walls
From the 1990s onwards, graffiti spread across São Paulo and the alley’s walls became sought after by artists from all over the city. The murals are repainted from time to time, and the graffiti artists themselves follow a code of conduct to decide who paints and when someone else’s work can be covered.
2010s: an official tourist attraction
In the mid-2010s, the alley firmly joined São Paulo’s tourist circuit. It got night lighting and was closed to cars. Famous visits, such as BTS’s in 2014, helped spread its name around the world.
2020: the black walls
The alley lost its color only once. In November 2020, the walls were painted black in protest over the death of cultural producer Wellington Copido Benfati, known as Nego Vila. The mourning lasted about two months, and then the murals came back.
2026: the renovation
On May 11, 2026, the City of São Paulo began a redevelopment of the alley, with drainage works, rain gardens, new cobblestone paving and more accessible sidewalks. See the details in Batman’s Alley renovation in 2026.
Where to stay near Batman’s Alley
Visiting the alley and need a place to stay? Browse hotels and guesthouses in Vila Madalena on Booking.com or read our guide Where to stay near Batman’s Alley, with the best neighborhoods. (Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Keep reading
- Batman’s Alley: complete guide
- The Braille graffiti in Batman’s Alley
- Escadaria do Patápio (Patápio staircase)
- Photos of Batman’s Alley
Sources
- Gazeta de São Paulo, “Memória: saiba como uma rua estreita de SP se tornou o Beco do Batman” (2023) (in Portuguese)
- City of São Paulo, Pinheiros Subprefecture (2026) (in Portuguese)