Comparing drawings of territory: Alagoas in the cartography of Marcgraf, in the past and in the present.
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Silva, M.A.; 2Menezes, C.
1UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE ALAGOAS Email: mas@pq.cnpq.br
2UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO Email: catarina.agudo@usp.br
Abstract
Historical cartography has played an important role in studies on urban Brazilian colonial territory, helping in understanding the way settlements were established during the period under consideration. A part of the current region of the North-East of Brazil has inherited historical features from the Dutch occupation between 1630 and 1654. There is available nowadays an abundance of records, among which are maps of a very high quality where information is represented with a high degree of accuracy. In the light of this, this study investigates the map Brasilia qua parte parte Belgis, [The part of Brazil that belongs to the united Netherlands] which was designed by the German cartographer Georg Marcgraf, in 1643. In conducting a more detailed analysis, it is focus on the section of the map that refers to the captaincy of Pernambuco, which was the main area of Dutch occupation and within it, the south of the territory that corresponds to the present-day State of Alagoas. By setting out from a systematic inquiry into a wide range of information, including the digital handling of this snippet of the map, (as well as making a comparison with previous and subsequent maps), the aim was to evaluate its documentary qualities while, at the same time, to analyse certain aspects of the urban occupation of Alagoas.