Vila Mariana (district of São Paulo) explained

Official Name:Vila Mariana
Mapsize:250px
Image Map1:Skyline from São Paulo city.JPG
Map Caption1:The "Paraíso"
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Brazil
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:São Paulo
Subdivision Type2:City
Subdivision Name2:São Paulo
Government Type:Subprefecture
Leader Title:Subprefect
Leader Name:Maurício de Oliveira Pinterich
Area Total Km2:8.6
Population As Of:2004
Population Total:120,064
Population Density Km2:13,960
Blank Name:HDI
Blank Info:0.950 – very high
Website:Subprefecture of Vila Mariana

Vila Mariana (pronounced as /pt/) 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.

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.