Vila Mariana (district of São Paulo)

This article is about the district of the city of São Paulo. For the subprefecture with the same name, see Subprefecture of Vila Mariana.

Vila Mariana
Location in the city of São Paulo
The "Paraíso"
Country	Brazil
State	São Paulo
City	São Paulo
Government
• Type	Subprefecture
• Subprefect	Maurício de Oliveira Pinterich
Area
• Total	8.6 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
Population  (2004)
• Total	120,064
• Density	13,960/km2 (36,200/sq mi)
HDI	0.950 – very high
Website	Subprefecture of Vila Mariana

Vila Mariana (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvila maɾiˈɐna]) is a borough of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Located to the south of Bela Vista and Liberdade, east of Jardim Paulista and west of Ipiranga, it's a dynamic area of the city. Similar to its neighbor district, Moema, it's a wealthy area and it comprises some of the most famous symbols of São Paulo, like the Ibirapuera Park, the Obelisk and Mausoleum of the heroes from the Constitutionalist Revolution in 1932 and the "Monumento às Bandeiras", and the Fundadores de São Paulo monument.

The district also has in its limits the headquarters of the Federal University of São Paulo and its medicine school.

Vila Mariana panoramic view

Until the early 20th century, it used to be a stop for chariots and horse riders on the way to Jabaquara from the central area of São Paulo. The whole trip would take an entire day, but now it is commutable by car within less than 30 minutes.

Vila Mariana is also the area where Athina Onassis lived, when married to Brazilian horse rider Álvaro Alfonso de Miranda Neto.