This paper seeks to retrace a stretch of "Estrada dos Goiases" (an old trail opened in 1722 by frontiersmen moving west) over the urban area of present-day Campinas, basically through an analysis of aerial photographs dated June 1940. The result - i.e. the outline ensuing from the evidence gathered - coincides with the sketch presented by historian Celso Maria de Mello Pupo (PUPO, 1969), but it diverges from a traditional and prevailing opinion found in academic works concerning the history of this city, which is also discussed in the paper. Retracing the said stretch of the old route, to which Campinas owes its origins, is an important first step towards a clearer understanding of the subsequent development of the city's urban contour.
Campinas; "Estrada dos Goiases"; Aerial Photography; Photographic Interpretation
