Anthony Faiola And Anna Jean Kaiser The Washington Post

Rocinha, Rio's largest favela - or hillside shantytown - was once ascendant, a symbol of rising fortunes in a nation that finally seemed on the fast track to greatness. But a little more than a year after Rio hosted the Olympic Games, that optimism is disappearing in a wave of urban violence.

Rocinha, Rio's largest favela - or hillside shantytown - was once ascendant, a symbol of rising fortunes in a nation that finally seemed on the fast track to greatness. But a little more than a year after Rio hosted the Olympic Games, that optimism is disappearing in a wave of urban violence.