Descrição
The reconstitution of a historical geography has been done by many researchers within geographical science. Among the studies conducted with this approach, those aimed at urban studies are conducted with a frequent scope, although there are more difficulties as they go back further in time. The present article is a contribution to the studies of historical urban geography in Bahia, and its main purpose is to discuss the formation of a dense settlements network in the 1700s, beyond the Recôncavo Baiano, the region surrounding the city of Salvador and Todos os Santos Bay. The investigation of travel memoirs, historical statistics, Bahia Provincial Presidential Reports and historical maps, as well as books, articles, dissertation and theses that provided an overview of the demographic, economic and social situation in the Province of Bahia, aided to reconstitute this bygone network. Natural conditions, the presence of Lusitanian Monarchy and the Church, the existence of paths, and also population and economic dynamics are evidence of the process of formation of this network in the mining period in the backcountry of Bahia, in which Rio de Contas and Jacobina were important villages in this incipient network.||A recomposição de uma geografia histórica tem sido feita por muitos pesquisadores no âmbito da ciência geográfica. Dentre os estudos realizados nessa perspectiva, aqueles voltados aos estudos urbanos são realizados com maior frequência, embora haja maior dificuldade à medida que se volta mais no tempo. O presente artigo é uma contribuição aos estudos da geografia urbana histórica na Bahia, cujo objetivo principal é discutir a formação de uma rede de assentamentos densa no setecentos, para além do Recôncavo Baiano. A consulta a relatos de viajantes, documentos estatísticos históricos, relatórios dos presidentes da província da Bahia e mapas históricos auxiliou na recomposição dessa rede pretérita, além do acesso a livros, artigos, dissertações e teses que dispunham de informações sobre o quadro demográfico, econômico e social da província da Bahia. As condições naturais, a presença da monarquia lusitana e da Igreja, a existência de caminhos, bem como a dinâmica populacional e econômica evidenciam o processo de formação dessa rede no período da mineração dos sertões baianos, tendo sido Rio de Contas e Jacobina nós dessa incipiente rede.
Abstract
GENESIS AND DIMENSIONS OF THE NETWORK OF VILLAGES AND NUCLEI OF SETTLEMENTS IN BAHIA IN THE 1700s
The reconstitution of a historical geography has been done by many researchers within geographical science. Among the studies conducted with this approach, those aimed at urban studies are conducted with a frequent scope, although there are more difficulties as they go back further in time. The present article is a contribution to the studies of historical urban geography in Bahia, and its main purpose is to discuss the formation of a dense settlements network in the 1700s, beyond the Recôncavo Baiano, the region surrounding the city of Salvador and Todos os Santos Bay. The investigation of travel memoirs, historical statistics, Bahia Provincial Presidential Reports and historical maps, as well as books, articles, dissertation and theses that provided an overview of the demographic, economic and social situation in the Province of Bahia, aided to reconstitute this bygone network. Natural conditions, the presence of Lusitanian Monarchy and the Church, the existence of paths, and also population and economic dynamics are evidence of the process of formation of this network in the mining period in the backcountry of Bahia, in which Rio de Contas and Jacobina were important villages in this incipient network.
