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Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 30, 2026, 3:15 p.m.
Box 43 in Teresina, Brazil
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At first glance, the Centro de Artesanato Mestre Dezinho , in downtown Teresina, looks exactly like what it is meant to be: a lively cultural space filled with local art, handicrafts, paintings, and souvenirs from Piauí. Tourists wander between colorful stalls, artisans chat with visitors, and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Until you reach Box 43 . Hidden beneath this small shop is a trapdoor that leads to one of the most well-preserved remnants of Brazil’s military dictatorship: a former underground detention cell, sealed away in plain sight beneath a craft market.
The building itself once served as the headquarters of the Military Police of Piauí, a role it held until the late 1970s. When it was converted into a cultural center in the 1980s, most traces of its previous life disappeared; except for this basement, which was never dismantled or reconstructed.
Until you reach Box 43 . Hidden beneath this small shop is a trapdoor that leads to one of the most well-preserved remnants of Brazil’s military dictatorship: a former underground detention cell, sealed away in plain sight beneath a craft market.
The building itself once served as the headquarters of the Military Police of Piauí, a role it held until the late 1970s. When it was converted into a cultural center in the 1980s, most traces of its previous life disappeared; except for this basement, which was never dismantled or reconstructed.
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