Skip to main content

Historical Archaeology of Lavras do Abade: An Environmental Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Brazil

International Journal of Historical Archaeology volume 18, pages 20–36 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

The Lavras do Abade research is a historical archaeological study about a gold mining village in midwestern Brazil that was destroyed by an environmental conflict at the end of the nineteenth century. This article concerns the history and archaeology of Lavras do Abade and consists of a post-disciplinary intersection of documentary and material sources about the site. In addition, only this type of reconstruction of a long-term event permits the scientific analysis of all the possible causes and consequences of this ecological contention. In this way, historical archaeology can be used to transpose a simple narrow view of the reconstruction of the past and offer insights into understanding similar unrest and group conflict today and in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Baugher-Perlin, S. (1988). Analyzing glass bottles for chronology, function, and trade networks. In Dickens, R. S. (ed.), Archaeology of Urban America, Academic Press, New York, pp. 259–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, R. S., and Allen, R. (2005). Mining the West. In Du Cunzo, L. A., and Jameson, J. H. (eds.), Unlocking the Past: Celebrating Historical Archaeology in North America, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, pp. 72–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, P. (1987). Gold, Iron and Steam: The Industrial Archaeology of the Palmer Goldfield, James Cook University, Townsville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandão, A. J. C. (1978). Almanach da Província de Goyaz, para o ano de 1886, Universidade Federal de Goias, Goiânia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calogeras, P. (1938). As Minas do Brasil e sua Lesgilação (Geologia Economica do Brasil), vol. 3, Companhia Editora Nacional, São Paulo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho, A. (2001). Pirenópolis Coletânea 1727–2000: História, Turismo e Curiosidades, Kelps, Pirenópolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho, H. B., and Lima, G. V. d. (2003). Projeto de Acompanhamento e Resgate Arqueológico das Obras de Implantação da Rede de Energia Elétrica e de Telefonia Subterrânea na Cidade de Pirenópolis - GO. Núcleo de Arqueologia da Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Cidade de Goiás.

  • Costa, L. C. B. F. (1979). Arraial e coronel, dois estudos de história social, Cultrix, São Paulo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, K. S. (1995). Meia Ponte: impactos sócio-ambientais da mineração de ouro na Província de Goiás 1881–1887, UNB, Brasília.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2003). Lavras do Abade: Estratégias de Gestão para o Patrimônio Arqueológico Histórico em Pirenópolis, Goiás, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2006). Arqueologia histórica nas Lavras do Abade: uma proposta de gestão do patrimônio. Anais do Museu Histórico Nacional 38: 71–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2010). Water and War at Pyreneus Mountains: Historical Eco-Archaeology of a Goldmine Village in the end of Nineteenth Century, Mid-Western Brazil. University of Florida, Gainesville. PhD dissertation.

  • Costa, D. M. (2011a). Water and War at Pyreneus Mountains: Historical Eco-Archaeology of Lavras do Abade, Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2011b). Archaeo-environmental study of the Almas River: mining pollution and the cerrado biome in the end of the nineteenth century in midwestern Brazil. Journal of Archaeological Science 38: 3497–3504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2012a). Virtual worlds: a theoretical proposal about the practice of computer simulations in archaeology. Journal of Art History and Archaeology 18: 29–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2012b). Arqueologia da mineração nas Lavras do Abade: entre propostas e práticas. Vestígios: Revista Latino-Americana de Arqueologia Histórica 6(1): 83–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2013a). Eco(arqueo)logia histórica nas Lavras do Abade: patrimônio cultural e natural. Amazônica 5(1): 38–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, D. M. (2013b). Lembrando e esquecendo as Lavras do Abade: memórias de um sítio arqueológico histórico. To appear in Teoria e Sociedade. (in press)

  • Curado, D. (2009). Uma Ponte à Meia-Ponte, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia.

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Alincourt, L. (2006). Memória sobre a viagem do porto de Santos à cidade de Cuiabá, Senado Federal, Conselho Editoria, Brasília.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, W. C. (2005). Historic Site Studies: Spectral Mining Camps, AuthorHouse, Bloomington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, G. L. (2001). Window glass dating: When was McConnell’s Homestead built? Paper presented at the 4th Annual South Central Historical Archeology Conference. Little Rock AR.

  • DeCunzo, L. A., and Ernstein, J. H. (2006). Landscapes, ideology and experience in historical archaeology. In Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M. C. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 191–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doce, C. V. R. (1992). A Mineração no Brasil e a Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, CVRD, Rio de Janeiro.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, W. A. (1998). The mining camp as community. In Knapp, A. B., Pigott, V. C., and Herbert, E. W. (eds.), Social Approaches to an Industrial Past, Routledge, London, pp. 97–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eakin, M. C. (1989). British Enterprise in Brazil: The St. John d’el Rey Mining Company and the Morro Velho Gold Mine, 1830–1960, Duke University Press, Durham.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eberlein, H. D., and Ramsdell, R. W. (1925). The Practical Book of Chinaware, Halcyon House, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eschwege, W. L. V. (1978). Pluto Brasiliensis: Memória sobre as riquezas do Brasil em ouro, diamantes e outros minerais. História da descoberta e descrição das ocorrências desses minerais. Exploração das jazidas e sua técnica. Produção e legislação de minas, USP/Itatiaia, Belo Horizonte.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fike, R. E. (1987). The Bottle Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Historical, Embossed Medicine Bottles, Peregrine Smith Books, Salt Lake City.

    Google Scholar 

  • Firebaugh, G. S. (1983). An archaeologist’s guide to the historical evolution of glass bottle technology. Southwestern Lore 49(2): 9–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (2008). Vigiar e Punir: O Nascimento da Prisão, Editora Vozes, Petrópolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freitas, C. (1996). Abandono de Patrimônio em Pirenópolis, Correio Braziliense, Brasília.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godden, G. A. (1966). An Illustrated Encyclopedia of British Pottery and Porcelain, Bonanza, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardesty, D. L. (1988). The Archaeology of Mining and Miners: A View From the Silver State, Society for Historical Archaeology, Pleasant Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, D., and Horning, A. (2006). Historical archaeology and buildings. In Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M. C. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, K. L. (2007). Beyond the Mean Ceramic Date: the interpretive potential of historic ceramics in cultural resource management. Ontario Archaeology 83(84): 80–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayme, J. (1971). Esbôço Histórico de Pirenópolis, Estado de Goiás, Pirenópolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayme, J., and Jayme, J. S. (2002). Casas de Pirenópolis, UCG, Goiânia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, N., Walters, M., and Frost, P. (2004). Mountains and Orefields: Metal Mining Landscapes of Mid and North-East Wales, Council for British Archaeology, York.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, J. A. (2006). Household archaeology, identies and biographies. In Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M. C. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 293–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, A. B. (1998). Social approaches to the archaeology and anthropology of mining. In Knapp, A. B., Pigott, V. C., and Herbert, E. W. (eds.), Social Approaches to an Industrial Past, Routledge, London, pp. 1–25.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Leal, O. (1892). Viagem as Terras Goyanas (Brazil Central), Typographia Minerva Central, Lisboa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Majewski, T., and O’Brien, M. J. (1987). The use and misuse of nineteenth-century English and American ceramics in archaeological analysis. In Schiffer, M. B. (ed.), Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 11, Academic Press, New York, pp. 97–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattos, R. J. C. (1979). Corografia Histórica da Província de Goiás, Governmento de Goiás, Goiânia.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, R. H., and Recner, P. (2003). Building a working class archaeology: the Colorado coal field war project. Industrial Archaeology Review XXV(2): 83–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. (2000). A revised set of CC index values for classification and economic scaling of English ceramics from 1787 to 1880. In Brauner, D. (ed.), Approaches to Material Culture Research for Historical Archaeologists. Tucson, Arizona, pp. 1–25.

  • O’Keeffe, T., and Yamin, R. (2006). Urban historical archaeology. In Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M. C. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 87–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pohl, J. E. (1976). Viagem ao Interior do Brasil (1819), USP/Itatiaia, Belo Horizonte.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rivers, S. J. (1999). Window glass and the Gowver House (15Lv178): an application of Donald Ball’s dating formula. Lambda Alpha Journal 29: 40–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, B. A. (2004). The Archaeologist's Manual for Conservation: A Guide to Non-Toxic, Minimal Intervention Artifact Stabilization, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saint-Hilaire, A. (1975). Viágem a província de Goiás, Edusp, São Paulo.

    Google Scholar 

  • South, S. (2002). Method and Theory in Historical Archaeology, Percheron Press, Clinton Corners.

    Google Scholar 

  • Symonds, J., and Casella, E. C. (2006). Historical archaeology and industrialization. In Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M. C. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavares, C. (1883). Companhia de Mineração Goiana, Revista de Engenharia, Sociedade de Engenharia, Rio de Janeiro.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank PROPESP/UFPA and FADESP for their financial support of the publication of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Anthropology, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

    Diogo M. Costa

Authors
  1. Diogo M. Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diogo M. Costa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Costa, D.M. Historical Archaeology of Lavras do Abade: An Environmental Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Brazil. Int J Histor Archaeol 18, 20–36 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-013-0245-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-013-0245-y

Keywords

  • Environmental conflict
  • Mining village
  • Nineteenth century
  • Brazil