Lecture 2: Cartography- Portuguese Commercial Intentions

Hi Rita!
I have attached my notes from lecture 2 on Cartography:Portuguese Commercial Intentions. I wrote notes on Gustavs presentation too ( I wasnt quite sure whether I was supposed to??)
Kind regards,
Melany Park.

Cartography: Portuguese Commercial Intentions

In 17th Century Brazil, educational travel took the form of scientific and artistic travel whereby maps and paintings were made as instrumental drawings. Maps, in particular were created with the purpose of representing Metropolitan Brazil or Terra Non Bescoperta, the land of the unknown. Earlier maps prior to the 17th Century failed to describe the topography of the land but latter maps do provide a more accurate design and more detailed information about the topography, which includes descriptions of rivers that would provide opportunities for occupation of the inner country.
The second typology of representation of the land describes the imaginary and the unknown hence whilst Brazil was portrayed as an El Dorado, a mysterious paradise to the commoners of Portugal, the depiction of the people and demons on the land gave Jesuit missionaries a chance to not only tell about the land but also their work of conversion to Christianity. It must be noted, however, that the Portuguese had no intention of a complete colonisation in the 16th and 17th Century. During this period, Portugal was still tied to medieval ideas and Catholicism unlike Italy which staged itself as a cultural centre of Europe with exponential improvements in the development of Humanist ideas. Therefore, their fascination with the notions of sin, guilt and paradise gave motives for Portuguese people to have a mystifying relationship with the discovery of the ‘Holy Cross Land’ and its people.
‘Beyond the Atlantic Ocean, everything was legend...’
Original Territorial Occupation
At the end of the 16th Century, two types of territorial occupation took place. The contrast between the two established Brazil’s history for the following years.
Indian Settlement, Aldeia
situated near sea lands and rivers
3 key architectural points: vernacular order, centrality, organic distribution (all activities appeared in open air in the centre of the village)
Distinction between female (food, children) and male (territory) activity
Conflicts occurred between the Portuguese army and the indigenous people
Indians used as slaves as a result of the difficulty of colonisation
Colonist Settlement
Squares common to medieval cities in Portugal could be found whereby buildings limited the open spaces (medieval square as the model)
Geometrical approach, classical rules of frontality
The church as the most important building in the settlement (Jesuit Church, like other orders in Europe had a vocabulary of architectonic details and painting styles. The presence of a single bell tower Campanario / Torre Sineira is proof of a Jesuit style)
Threshold/fortress to protect people from animals, forest etc…
Methods of construction: masonry foundations, brick walls, traditional approaches
The third typology of representation is the landscape where union of construction and nature takes place (settlements shown next to forests…)
Bandeiras or Bandeirantismo: colonial exploratory expeditions. The discovery of gold in Minas Gerais was a result of this type of exploratory expedition.
1777: Portugal and Spain split to explore on their own (?). Portuguese explored the coastal areas, Spain further inland. Consequently, the territory became more exact for the people. Nature determined the movement of people in South America.
1808: Portuguese royal family arrived in Rio de Janeiro and cities grew.
Thomas Ender: Austrian artist who came to Brazil in a scientific expedition to draw the flora and the fauna.
The Industrialisation of Minas Gerais
Until the discovery of gold in 1692-5 around Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais was non-existent.
Key Dates:
1500 - Discovery of Brazil
1690 – Gold in Ouro Preto
1763 – Rio becomes the capital due to the discovery of gold in Minas Gerais. After this, a road was created to take people into Rio. All other roads to the state closed to prevent people finding gold in state and taking it out. (Salvador was the only important city in Minas Gerais at the time)

Colonial exploratory expeditions moved from the coast to inland.
Ouro Preto (known as Vila Rica): Peak of gold production 1764-1780. After this, there was a decline in the production of gold.
In 1776, a quarter of the population in Minas Gerais was involved in the production of gold.
1808 - Don Juan Sesto escapes from Napoleon. Gold already began disappearing in the late 18th Century, hence there was a reaction to substitute economic activity and they tried to create different opportunities. It still took 15 days on horseback from the state to Rio, proving that nature is important in structuring the continent. As you go inland, the land becomes hillier and therefore, Minas Gerais was geographically isolated.
At the end of the 19th Century the state of Minas Gerais was divided into regions. By this stage, no gold could be found in Ouro Preto.
Introduction of the railroad allowed delivery of coffee from Minas Gerais to the coast for export. Economic connections from the state to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo were established.
1897 - Belo Horizonte was inaugurated. This exemplified the first important construction of a Republican government. Similarities between Washington D.C. and Belo Horizonte can be found as planners of the two cities studied in France and both cities were planned after the French housing schemes in Paris.
20th Century:
New York City Stock Market Crash, 1929. As a result, importation was a problem and hence locals had to produce more than was necessary.
1946 - Rio de Janeiro opened the first steel plant resulting in Minas Gerais losing the first production of iron ore.
1965 – Street cars in Belo Horizonte removed to make way for buses. Trees were also cut down for more cars in 1958.