Over bygone waters: Presences of Mauritsstad in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Mauritius City (1637-1654) emerged as a moment of Batavian interference in the history of Brazilian cities. The Brazilian urbanization had, during colonial times, the Portuguese constructive character as the main logical and formal reference and after the expulsion of the Dutch, this character was also present in Recife, with the
superposition of constructions and infrastructure by a new logic of occupation. With this study, we seek to investigate in what way the Dutch presence is still present in the current city, either in a sense of logical permanence, i.e., through attributes that guide the city form, or sensitive permanence, urban areas that resemble, as landscape, the former city. In this way, we seek to construct an identity narrative that recognizes the genesis of Recife as relevant to the cultural landscape of the current city.

Keywords: Landscape, Memory, Dutch Brazil, Cultural identity.