The “Entries and Flags ” were exploration expeditions with strategic and economic purposes, carried out in the interior of Colonial Brazil between the 17th and 18th centuries. Indeed, these incursions ensured the expansion and conquest of Brazilian territory.
To learn more:Brazil Colony
Key Features
These expeditions shared many characteristics, but in particular we can mention deprivations such as precarious food, based on hunting, fishing, manioc and some fruits, as well as the long duration of the trips, which could last for years.
In turn, the main weapons of the expeditionaries were the bow and some firearms, such as the musket. It is worth remembering that the trips were extremely painful and resulted in the death of several members of the group due to lack of hygiene, diseases, attacks by animals and Indians, etc.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the expeditions that followed the waterways were called "monções ", characterized by being better structured than land expeditions.
Key Features of Entries
The “Entries ” went to official expeditions organized and financed by the Portuguese Crown, which, as a rule, respected the limits of the Treaty of Tordesilhas.
Their priority was to map the newly discovered territory and enable its colonization beyond the coast.
They should also discover the existence of gold and precious stones, as well as act in the fight against indigenous peoples who resisted the colonizer and European invaders, mainly the Dutch.
In effect, these undertakings left the coast towards the west, towards the interior of the colony and its members, who could reach a few hundred, were mostly Portuguese soldiers and white Brazilians.
Therefore, in 1548, Tomé de Sousa and appointed first governor-general, comes to Brazil with the mission to discover gold and silver mines.
A few years later (1550), Captain Duarte de Lemos was already writing to the Court stating that there was evidence of gold in the colony.
Thus, in 1554, the expeditionaries, under the command of Francisco Bruzo de Espinosa, left Bahia and traveled along the Pardo, Jequitinhonha and São Francisco rivers, crossing the hinterland to the current state of Minas Gerais.
It is worth mentioning that, from the 17th century onwards, the Portuguese Crown will give priority to the search for gold and precious stones.
To learn more:Treaty of Tordesillas, General Government and Tomé de Sousa
Key Features of Flags
From the outset, we can say that the expeditions of “Flags ” were responsible for the expansion of Brazilian territory, since they did not respect the limits imposed by the Treaty of Tordesillas and invaded Spanish territory.
For this reason, they were not officially sponsored by the Portuguese Crown and their costs were financed by private entrepreneurs.
However, this type of expedition became more common after the end of the Iberian Union (1640) and the expulsion of the Dutch from Brazil (1654).
Generally, the composition of the Bandeiras was made up of a minority group of whites (mostly Brazilians) and a large contingent of mestizos and indigenous peoples.
They could range from a small group of Pathfinders, to thousands of individuals, especially natives, who were responsible for subsistence agriculture, in addition to fighting, guiding and watching.
The pioneers also sought metals, precious stones and drugs from the sertão (prospector bandeirantismo), but they were also dedicated to the capture of indigenous people (preação bandeirismo), the capture of fugitive African slaves, as well as the fight against quilombolas and aggressive indigenous people ( contract Girl Scouting).
Departing from São Vicente and São Paulo, these expeditions crossed the Serra do Mar and were favored by the navigation of the Tietê River and its tributaries, towards the center-west and south of Brazil.
To learn more:
- Bandeirantes
- State of Sao Paulo
- Mineral Triangle