GEODIVERSITY OF PARAHYBA IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD

Abstract

The natural landscape of João Pessoa and its surroundings are among the most beautiful in the country, and has a historic centre with buildings that feature among the oldest in the country. Consequently, the privileged nature associated with the important cultural heritage result in the appropriation of this coastal environment with the consequent urban evolution dating from the sixteenth century. The objective of this work is to present the perception of the several writers, who were present in the Captaincy of Parahyba, during the colonial period, on the elements of geodiversity that were primordial for the consolidation and urban expansion of its capital, Nossa Senhora das Neves. In order to achieve this, several historical documents, elaborated by these travellers, during the aforementioned historical period, were used not only to divulge the geodiversity of the Captaincy but also to encourage the communities to rediscover their roots and identity, linked to the physical elements of this space.