With his clothes covered in dirt and sweat, on his horse or in his truck, the engineer from Goiás, Joffre Mozart Parada, worked tirelessly. In his daily work to make the new capital of Brazil viable, the professional, who was the head of the topography team at Novacap, never saw bad weather. Born in Vianópolis, in Goiás, he was the one responsible for laying “stake zero” as the starting point for the construction of Brasília. 
Engineer Thelma Párada is happy with the recognition of her father’s work. Photo: Maria Eduarda Lima/Ceub Agency
Last week, the story was recognized after, during a road construction project in the capital, the stake reappeared in the area of a viaduct between Asa Norte and Asa Sul, which symbolizes the capital’s zero point. The engineer’s work became less famous, according to his daughter, Thelma Parada, because her father preferred anonymity. “He was very shy. When photos appeared, he would even hide. He really liked to be behind the camera and be the photographer,” says his daughter, 69, who is also an engineer. He died in 1976, close to his 52nd birthday, after a heart attack.
Expropriations
Thelma explains that her father was responsible for going to the farms, starting in 1955 (five years before the inauguration of Brasília), to carry out the expropriations. His wife, Mercedes, accompanied him and took notes. “She came with him to nearby cities and worked every day to help him. And he didn’t stop all day long.” Since he liked to work more than talk, the engineer was discreet even in his day-to-day life. “The first big hug he gave me was the day I passed the engineering entrance exam. He was very excited and called me his colleague.”
Joffre, as his daughter recalls, was responsible for adapting the original design of the Pilot Plan, by Lúcio Costa, which resembled a cross. “At his father’s suggestion, he began to arch the ‘wings’ of the Pilot Plan to avoid flooding with the waters of Lake Paranoá.”
“Compulsive”
The tributes to Joffre’s memory, according to his daughter, are related to a greater awareness of the need to reclaim the history of the city, which turned 64 in April. “People are already more concerned about history. He died while the military regime was still in power.” After the 1964 coup, the engineer considered leaving Brasília. “He was very sad and disappointed and asked for leave from work.” His family did not know more about his motivations because he “didn’t talk” about these topics at home.
Upper area of the Brasília Bus Station, at the intersection of the North and South wings, cut by the Brasília Road Axis. Photograph: Rafa Neddermeyer/Agência Brasil
Everyone was surprised because the engineer was considered inventive and a workaholic (compulsive worker”. “Saturdays and Sundays at home were full of people. The house was always full of maps and stones and equipment spread out all over the house. Since he surveyed the entire Federal District, he knew everything very well”. Since he was a mining engineer, people would bring him different stones to analyze. The daughter does not remember her father in many moments of fun. “He would always stop just to watch the news on television”.
The daughter believes that his tireless work went beyond his professional obligations. She recalls that her father was hopeful that the capital would change to a place of greater justice. “I only understood his role in the construction after he died, as the first engineer in Brasília.”
