Maria Marli, a 15-Year Veteran Bricklayer, Helps Build Bahia’s Tallest Building and Realizes Her Own Dreams

The journey of Maria Marli in a major construction project in Salvador brings together civil construction, female presence, and professional autonomy in a sector still marked by predominantly male teams and daily challenges on the site.

Maria Marli dos Santos Oliveira, 49 years old, has been working for 15 years as a mason and is part of the team working on the Legacy project in the Caminho das Árvores neighborhood in Salvador.

According to the Portal A TARDE, the development is recognized as the tallest building in Bahia, and Marli is one of two women in a group of about 40 men in the sector where she works.

Her story was presented in the seventh chapter of the series “March 8, 8 Women, 8 Stories” by Portal A TARDE.

The report revisited the construction site of the Legacy, a project mentioned in the original text as awarded by the International Property Awards as the best skyscraper in the Americas.

In an environment of machines, concrete, and an intense work routine, Marli’s journey gained recognition for combining professional experience, female presence in civil construction, and autonomy achieved through her craft.

The mason participates in the construction activities and performs tasks typical of the role, such as preparing mortar, building walls, and other stages of the construction process.

Maria Marli’s Journey in Civil Construction

Marli’s entry into civil construction was not planned from the start.

According to the account given to the report, the choice occurred during a search for job opportunities and professional qualification, following advice from close people.

“At the time, due to lack of options as well, I ended up taking a civil construction course,” she stated.

Originally from the countryside, she initially came to Salvador out of curiosity.

Staying in the Bahian capital opened other professional paths.

Before establishing herself in civil construction, Marli took a course in nursing but ended up following a different path.

With encouragement from friends and acquaintances, she decided to qualify as a mason.

Over the years, the profession became her main source of income and also a skill applied in personal projects.

The accumulated experience includes projects in different parts of the Bahian capital.

One of the first performances took place in a large development also located in the Caminho das Árvores region, where she began to familiarize herself with the routine of construction sites.

Since then, Marli has worked on other projects until reaching the Legacy construction site.

At the current site, according to the report, she has been working for about four months.

Female Mason at Salvador Construction Site

In the sector where she works at Legacy, Marli shares the routine with about 40 men.

She is one of the two women on the team, as reported by Portal A TARDE.

The composition of the group helps to contextualize the female presence in a role still rarely occupied by women within that specific environment.

Despite the numerical difference on the site, the mason reported that she was well received by her colleagues in the places she has worked.

This is her assessment, based on her own professional experience.

“Thank God, I was well received by people. Everywhere I go, I am well received,” she said.

Marli also acknowledges that situations of prejudice may occur in daily life, but she claims to try to handle these episodes without escalating conflicts.

In her account to the report, she explained that she uses humor as a way to deal with uncomfortable situations.

“Sometimes we hear some things, but many situations we overlook. When something bothers me, I joke about it so I don’t have to take it further,” she said.

The worker’s statement indicates a personal strategy for coexistence in a space where she is a minority.

The original text does not report specific episodes of discrimination, nor does it mention formal complaints related to the work environment.

From Course to Practice on Site

Training in civil construction allowed Marli to develop a technical activity and maintain a continuous trajectory in the area.

In the construction routine, she participates in tasks that require physical preparation, attention to finishing, and knowledge of execution stages.

Among the activities mentioned are preparing the mortar, building walls, and working in different phases of construction.

These are functions directly linked to the execution of the work and are part of the daily work of bricklayers on construction sites.

With 15 years of experience, Marli has mastered stages of the trade and uses this knowledge outside of her job as well.

The skills acquired at work were applied to her own projects, including the construction of the house where she lives.

The profession, therefore, appears in the account not only as a source of income but as a practical tool for achieving personal goals.

This relationship is described by Marli herself when talking about what she managed to build with the skills learned throughout her career.

Own house built with her own hands

Marli’s professional experience also had a direct impact on her personal life.

With the knowledge acquired in civil construction, she stated that she built her own house and is constructing another property in the countryside.

“I have already built my own house and am building another in the countryside, which is almost ready,” she said.

The account shows how professional training was used by Marli for her own benefit.

By learning stages of the work, she began to participate directly in the construction of homes related to her family life.

In practice, mastering the function allows the bricklayer to oversee and execute parts of the process autonomously.

The report does not detail in which city the second house is located, nor does it provide the expected completion date of the work.

Even so, the information presented by Marli helps explain the importance of work in her journey.

The same knowledge used on the Legacy construction site was also applied to personal housing projects.

Legacy on Caminho das Árvores

The Legacy is located on Caminho das Árvores, in Salvador, a neighborhood mentioned in the report as the site visited by Portal A TARDE.

The original text describes the development as the tallest building in Bahia and states that it received international recognition in the real estate sector.

The construction brings together workers from different functions and stages of construction.

Among them is Marli, who works directly in the execution of services on the site.

Her presence on the team was highlighted by the report for occurring in a predominantly male environment.

The development was also mentioned in the original text as being awarded by the International Property Awards.

As the report does not detail the complete category nor present the official document in full, the information was maintained as attributed to the content published by Portal A TARDE.

By situating the story within the Legacy project, the report connects Marli’s individual journey to the progress of a large-scale development in Salvador.

The relevance of the case, in this context, lies in the role of a professional with long experience in an operational function of civil construction.

Women’s Space in the Workplace

Speaking about the female presence in the job market, Marli argued that women should not stop seeking spaces in areas where they are still a minority.

The statement was made based on her own journey as a mason.

“Do not be afraid. Go, dive in, because a woman’s place is wherever she wants,” she stated.

The phrase sums up the message left by Marli in the report.

She associates staying in the profession with the willingness to learn, work, and face a routine that requires technical preparation and physical endurance.

In her case, entering civil construction happened out of necessity and opportunity.

Over time, the course turned into a profession, and the profession also began to influence her personal life.

On the Legacy site, Marli works on a project described as the largest in Bahia by Portal A TARDE.

Outside of it, she uses the accumulated knowledge to build her own house and another dwelling in the countryside.

The journey presented by the report shows a professional who learned in cement, stayed in the field for 15 years, and today is part of a team responsible for erecting one of the most cited developments in Bahia’s civil construction.