This paper presents the results of an elastoplastic finite element back analysis of an excavation made on a saturated soft organic clay deposit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The excavation was conducted as part of an urbanization program, in which artificial islands were to be created in a swamp along the margins of the Camboinhas Lagoon. An extensive laboratory testing program was performed on undisturbed soil samples to characterize the stress-strain-strength behavior of the involved materials. Results from this laboratory testing program were used to calibrate a non associated elastoplastic constitutive model implemented in the ANLOG (Nonlinear Analysis of Geotechnical Problems) code.