On the Heights of Olinda, in the Rivers of Recife: Contrasting Landscapes in the Genesis of Pernambuco (1537-1654)

• Grant number: 24/21878-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Hugo Massaki Segawa
• Grantee: Leonardo Nóbrega Queiroz de Paiva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the Captaincy of Pernambuco, the years leading up to 1654 were marked by the destruction of two settlements: the town of Olinda, burned in 1631, and the Dutch Recife, dismantled by the Portuguese after the reconquest of the territory in 1654. These were settlements shaped by distinct territorial logics, whose iconographic representations are crucial for understanding their characteristics. This study begins by recognizing the limited number of recent initiatives in the field of Urban History addressing this period in Pernambuco's history. The concept of "landscape" serves as a theoretical framework, as it suggests a connection between being and place-an idea explored across various disciplines. The term's polysemy presents both a challenge and a potential by integrating diverse perspectives on spatial phenomena. The research focuses on locating cartographies, paintings, and engravings in national and international archives, alongside the systematic organization of the findings. Subsequently, the analysis of visual sources will incorporate their historical and cultural contexts, the trajectories of their creators, and their connections to the historical spatiality of the settlements. The aim is to construct a narrative about these two settlements that links images to place through the perspectives of those who experienced them.