27 spectacular pictures of Rio Olympics opening ceremony

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, all to the pounding beat of samba, bossa nova and funk.

The opening ceremony was decidedly simple and low-tech, a reflection of Brazil's tough economic times. In one of the world's most unequal societies, the spectacle celebrated the culture of the favelas, the slums that hang vertiginously above the renowned beaches of Rio and ring the Maracana. There was no glossing over history either: from the arrival of the Portuguese and their conquest of the indigenous populations to the use of African slave labor for 400 years. The clash of cultures, as the ceremony showed, is what makes Brazil the complex mosaic that it is.



Home to the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, Brazil used the ceremony to call on the 3 billion people watching the opening of the world's premiere sporting event to take care of the planet, plant seeds and protect the verdant land that Europeans found here five centuries ago.

Here we look at 27 spectacular pictures of Rio opening the summer Olympics.

The Olympic flag flies next to the Brazilian national flag during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Former Brazilian athlete Vanderlei Cordeiro lights the Olympic cauldron with the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Former Brazilian athlete Vanderlei Cordeiro lights the Olympic cauldron with the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Former Brazilian basketball player Hortencia Marcari (C) carries the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Indonesia's athletes during the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Members of the Brazil delegation carry a flag during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

The national flag of Brazil is raised during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

A photo shows a view of the Olympic flame burning in the Maracana Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Flagbearers hold their national flags as they take part in the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Athletes from the United States and fans celebrate during the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Flagbearer Sheng Lei (CHN) of China leads his contingent during the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Fireworks light up the sky during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Fireworks are seen during the Opening ceremony for Rio 2016 Olympic games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

This picture shows an overview of the fireworks over the Maracana stadium at the end of the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. AFP

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen walks during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

The Olympic Rings are made by fireworks during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Performers take part in the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Performers take part in the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen parades during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium. PHOTO: AFP

Performers take part in the opening ceremony. PHOTO: REUTERS

Fireworks light the sky above mirrored planters during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

Fireworks ignite over the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP

View of the fireworks over the Maracana stadium at the end of the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO: AFP