Comparing Drawings of Territory: Alagoas in the Cartography of Marcgraf, in the Past and in the Present

摘要

Historical cartography has played an important role in studies of urban regions of colonial Brazil and is of great assistance in helping us understand the way settlements were established during this period. Part of north-eastern Brazil has inherited historical features from the Dutch occupation, which lasted from 1630 to 1654. Today, there is an abundance of records available, which include high-quality maps where information is represented with a great degree of accuracy. In light of this, this study investigates the map Brasilia qua parte paret Belgis (the part of Brazil that belongs to the united Netherlands), designed by the German cartographer Georg Marcgraf in 1643. In conducting a more detailed analysis, our focus is on the section of the map that refers to the captaincy of Pernambuco, which was the main area of Dutch occupation and, in particular, the south of the territory that is now the present-day state of Alagoas. By investigating a wide range of information, including the digital handling of this detailed feature of the map, this study aimed to evaluate its documentary attributes while, at the same time, analysing certain aspects of the occupation of Alagoas with the aid of virtual tools.