COLONIZATION OF THE CAPTAINCIES OF RIO GRANDE AND PARAÍBA: the case of the riverside and backland of the Curimataú River (1659-1720)
Captaincies of the North; Curimataú river; Conquest; Territorialization
The occupation of the Curimataú river in the captaincies of Paraíba and Rio Grande in the second half of the 17th century is related to the expansion project of the Portuguese crown from Pernambuco as a center for radiating agents and institutions to the interior of the Captaincies of the North. We work with the scenario of the Captaincies of the North and the military context that mobilized the expansion over the interior territories of the northeast and that culminated with the episodes of the Barbarian War. The research is an analysis of a regional case, which focuses on political, economic and administrative processes in the conformation of the territory of colonial Curimataú between the years 1659 and 1720. The main sources used were letters of sesmarias, titles of nobility, offices, charters and salary provisions of the sesmeiros of Curimataú available in digital files such as the SILB Platform and on the website of the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU). The work proposes to recompose the historical context of the sedimentation of the colonial structure around the Riverside and the Backland of Curimataú, focusing on investigating and reflecting on the actions of institutions, individuals and social groups involved in this process.