Trades and spaces of the colonial network of São Paulo in the end of the 18th century

Abstract

Ever since the 1950s, researchers from different fields have been more and more interested in the economic, urbanization, military, and other activities that occurred in the Brazilian territory, during colonial times. Studies about networks of towns and villages, the capture of indigenous population, commerce, urban slavery, women, border disputes, and colonial workmen have shown the relevance of these activities for the development of colonial way of life and for the constitution of the colonial territory. These actions had different connections with the European market, from direct links (as seen in the export of agricultural products) to a virtually inexistent relation (in the case of urban building).In this scenario, we propose the research entitled "Trades and spaces of the colonial network of São Paulo in the end of the 18th century", through which we will present and analyze the network of economic activities, military actions, and roads within the colony, that had the city of São Paulo as a central location of both the organization of the aforementioned activities and the intersection of the routes between: the northeast, to which the cattle was send to; the borders down south, in the Bacia do Prata region; the areas of gold and gemstone extraction of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, and Goiás; the commercial areas of Santos and Rio de Janeiro; sugar mills in the west part of the São Paulo capitancy; and the city of São Paulo itself. The research will be based on the analysis of the historical cartography comprehending the mentioned area. (AU)