LUSITANIAN GEOPOLITICS IN THE AMAPÁ AMAZON: CARTOGRAPHY, CATECHESIS, AND POMBALINE POLICIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BORDER DOMINATION (17TH–18TH CENTURIES)

Abstract

With the advancement of European colonization, particularly from the seventeenth century onward, the insular and continental portions of the lower Amazon began to play a strategic role in the Portuguese Crown’s efforts to claim, defend, and dominate the northern region of Brazil. The construction of military garrisons and the establishment of settlements bearing names inspired by Portuguese localities—part of the Pombaline reforms—were tactically incorporated into nautical charts, highlighting the use of cartography and toponymy as instruments for legitimizing territorial power. In light of this context, the present study aimed to analyze the multifaceted tactics of defense and domination employed, focusing on the instrumentalization of Jesuit catechesis, Pombaline centralization policies, spatial and toponymic reconfiguration, and the crucial role of cartography as a tool of power and territorial legitimization. To this end, a historical-geographical approach was adopted, methodologically grounded in bibliographic review and the analysis of historical and cartographic documents. The research revealed that the consolidation of Portuguese control over the mouth of the Amazon—particularly in the territory now known as Amapá—during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was a complex process, driven by religious missions and state centralization policies. This included defensive actions materialized through the construction of fortifications and the spatial and toponymic reconfiguration of the region. In this context, cartography emerged as a fundamental geopolitical instrument, not only for delineating boundaries but also for legitimizing claims and influencing territorial disputes, thereby securing sovereignty and demonstrating how territory is a construct imbued with power relations.