A cartography of the invasion, conquest, and occupation of Indigenous territories in Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT:

In contrast to what happened in Midwestern Minas Gerais, in which the discovery of gold led to its intense occupation and exploration and the decimation of native peoples (which consolidated a mining district in Minas Gerais), the eastern portion of the territory remained even further away from the “hands” of the colonizing power for a considerable period of time. This concentrated most of the presence and resistance of the Indigenous peoples in the Minas Gerais captaincy, who survived such impetus. However, from the second half of the 18th century onward, the decline of the gold cycle and the new directions of the captaincy economic dynamics changed this situation, placing the “eastern hinterland” at the sights of the government as an alternative for boosting its economy. The advance of the invasion and occupation of Indigenous lands in the region, based on processes of war and supposed pacification, is evinced by several historical cartographic documents produced from the second half of the 19th to the 1800’s Johannine years. Analyzed in light of the events interpreted by different authors, these documents become important sources of research and understanding of what happened to the Indigenous people from eastern Minas Gerais.

KEYWORDS:
Historic Cartography; Indigenous People; Indigenous Cartography; Indigenous People of Minas Gerais