Metamorphoses of colonization: the Tocantins River and the expansion to the West in maps and reports (18th century)

Abstract

To understand the colonization of the interior of Brazil, this article analyzes two manuscript reports and a map of the Tocantins river that unveil the progressive domain Luso-Brazilian colonizers achieved over the area. The aim of this paper is to analyze the transitional and permanent forms of colonization that were established along this river route, such as farms, urban centers, strongholds for protection against attack by the Gentiles, and the imaginary construction that the settlers were composing of Brazil and its spaces in the interior, especially those which had mineral wealth.

Keywords:
Tocantins; mining; colonization; D’Anville