A natureza dos rios nas Notícias Práticas das Minas de Cuiabá: a trilha das águas nos Pantanais do centro da América do Sul

Abstract

This article presents perceptions of aspects of the nature of the rivers in the center of South America. The reports comprise the colection of Practical News by the priest and mathematician Diogo Soares, who had the mission to gather information on the conquests of the Portuguese America, on the first half of the eighteenth century. They are about the canoe trips on the trail of water, - the paulistas monsoons - with enphasis on the environment of the wetlands by the rivers Paraguai and Cuiabá. The relationships of indigenous societies with the rivers and its naturall resources are highlighted, demonstrating the biodiversity built up over time.