Maria Elisa Costa, the architect and urban planner daughter of Lucio Costa, who designed the master plan of Brasília, died on Tuesday (25) in the Brazilian capital at the age of 91. Her family confirmed the death in a statement posted on social media, according to G1. The circumstances of her death and details about the burial were not disclosed.

Lucio Costa won a national competition in 1957 to design Brazil's new capital. Following her father's profession, Maria Elisa devoted her career to architecture and to defending the city's original architectural and urban complex. According to G1, her preservation work in the capital gained strength especially after her father's death in 1998. In 2017, she launched a book about him in Brasília.

Correio Braziliense, a Brasília daily, described her as one of the most lucid interpreters of the city, an architect who built a career of her own and dedicated part of it to preserving the Plano Piloto, the modernist master plan, and to promoting the capital, which is recognized as a World Heritage cultural site.

The governor of the Federal District, Celina Leão (PP), decreed three days of official mourning in Brasília. In a statement released by the government, she said:

"Maria Elisa Costa is an icon and a symbol of Brasília. She leaves an enormous legacy for the preservation of our architectural identity and for the fight to keep Brasília as a cultural heritage site of humanity. My solidarity goes to Maria Elisa's family and friends."

Maria Elisa is survived by a daughter, Julieta, and three granddaughters: Sofia, Julia and Clara. All four signed the death notice published on social media, according to G1.