Um instantâneo do povoado do Descoberto da Piedade em 1822

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the village of Descoberto da Piedade based on the census survey conducted between 1823 and 1824 at the request of Raimundo José da Cunha Mattos in the province of Goiás. This document, produced during a period of political and economic transition in Brazil, as it shifted from being a Portuguese colony to an independent empire, provides a snapshot of Goian society at the time. It allows us to capture the social, demographic, and economic dynamics of the Captaincy/Province of Goiás.Our primary objective is to understand how societal organization and forms of labor were articulated in the context of the political changes of the period, focusing on the village of Descoberto da Piedade and its surroundings. To achieve this, we employed document criticism complemented by the cross referencing of historiographical sources.The analysis was deepened using the contributions of Botelho (2003, 2001, 1998), Karasch (1999, 1992), Gomes (2013), Vieira (2019, 2014, 2013), and Almeida (2024), who provided theoretical support to examine issues such as social hierarchy, labor relations, territorial occupation, and interactions between different population groups.The results reveal a society marked by rigid hierarchies, where local elites controlled productive resources. The census survey highlights nuances of labor relations, showing a transition from a strictly slavery-based model to more diversified configurations, aligned with the transformations identified in the historiography of the period. The analysis reaffirms the strategic role of the Goian hinterlands in Brazil's political and economic landscape in the 19th century, emphasizing how Descoberto da Piedade reflects both provincial and imperial directives.This study confirms the relevance of census surveys as historical sources, particularly for their snapshot nature, which offers a unique glimpse into the social and economic transformations of a peripheral region in the early 19th century. By exploring the context of Descoberto da Piedade, this work contributes to both regional historiography and broader investigations of Goiás and post-independence Brazil.