De barro e de pau, de pedra e de cal : que se faça câmara e cadeia à proporção de cada terra : uma análise material das construções das casas de câmara e cadeia do Rio de Janeiro, Natal e Vila Rica (1717 – 1752)

Abstract

The Houses of Councils and Jails were one of the material pillars of Portuguese colonization in Brazil. Through a comparative analysis of the construction of the Câmara and Cadeia buildings in Natal, Vila Rica, and Rio de Janeiro, which took place from the end of the 1710s to the beginning of the 1730s, and some renovations of these buildings in the first half of the 18th century, an understanding was sought of them as Portuguese buildings constructed in the Americas. Understanding these buildings as material elements of culture allows for their recognition as essential in the dissemination, construction, and establishment of order, justice, and punishment in colonial cities and towns, thus, as central buildings in colonial administration, symbols of central power, and loci of local powers. For this purpose, the location of these houses and their relations with the urban layout, their designs and plans, and the actual construction work were analyzed, considering the construction systems and materials used, as well as the actors involved, both in these construction aspects and in the daily use of the buildings. As part of a core typology of buildings in Portuguese administration, they had to follow parameters set by the Crown in their conception and production; however, the geographical, social, political, and economic characteristics of each location led to significant variations in the Câmara and Cadeia buildings and their construction processes.