The city before its patrimonialization: Urban configuration of Mucugê, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The discovery of diamonds in Mucugê so far exceeded any expectations that it overshadowed all other discoveries made in the region in previous years of the nineteenth century. They attracted thousands of people to this vernacular settlement that was set amid the rocky hills that characterize this region of Chapada Diamantina, in Brazil. Although it also received adventurers from other parts of Bahia, migrants from Minas were the ones who most influenced the new settlement – and, possibly, other urban sites that later appeared in Chapada. This work focuses on the study of Mucugê’s natural site, the structure of its society, economy and culture, its urban form and the introduction of domestic and religious architecture into this ensemble; it analyzes Mucugê’s urban configuration, revealing influences from Minas’ earlier urban settlements that also arose out of mining activity. It also shows how Mucugê developed its own features, especially regarding the relationship between its architecture and the landscape.