Published on March 5, 2023 · Updated on November 2, 2026

Home » Historical Maps of Brazil and the World » Map of colonial Brazil: old maps and territorial evolution

Each map of colonial Brazil shows how Brazilian territory emerged and grew, from the Discovery in 1500 to Independence in 1822. In addition, these maps reveal how Europeans saw the land, the rivers and the Indigenous peoples. So, in this guide, you will find the history of Brazil’s territorial formation and a gallery of old maps from 1550 to 1884.

Timeline of Brazil’s territorial formation

The beginning of Portuguese colonization

When Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the coast of the future Brazil on 22 April 1500, the Portuguese Crown was not focused on conquering land. In fact, its goal was to control the spice route to the East. Moreover, since 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas had divided the new lands between Portugal and Spain.

However, the presence of European rivals changed this picture, especially the French, who traded pau-brasil (brazilwood) and formed alliances with the Indigenous peoples. For this reason, the Crown began to colonize the land systematically and, in 1534, created the hereditary captaincies.

Captaincies and the defense of the territory

First of all, by granting large strips of land to Portuguese nobles, the king hoped to secure the main points of the coast, between Itamaracá and São Vicente. Even so, France and the Netherlands tried to settle in Brazil. After being expelled, for example, the Dutch took sugar production to the Antilles, which contributed to the crisis of Brazilian sugar.

In the end, France, the Netherlands and England kept the Guianas. Thus, according to some historians, Portugal consolidated its empire in America more because of its rivals’ lack of interest than through its own strength.

The bandeiras and the expansion into the interior

The bandeiras were expeditions that set out from São Paulo, with discreet support from the Crown, and extended Portuguese rule across the interior. Made up of white men, people of mixed descent and allied Indigenous people, they mainly followed the tributaries of the Paraná River and traveled thousands of kilometers.

In general, their goals were threefold:

• Capturing Indigenous people for slave labor on the plantations.
• Attacking the Spanish Jesuit missions, where many Indigenous people lived.
• Searching for precious metals, which led to the gold of Minas Gerais (late 17th century), Mato Grosso (1718–1719) and Goiás (1725).

The boundary treaties

With the bandeiras, the Portuguese occupied lands far beyond the Tordesillas line. Therefore, in 1750, the Treaty of Madrid adopted the principle of uti possidetis: the land belongs to whoever occupies it. Later, the Treaty of San Ildefonso (1777) adjusted these borders in the south. As a result, the map of Brazil took on a shape close to today’s.

The unity of Brazil and the arrival of the Court

Despite its size, Brazil maintained its political unity after Independence in 1822. This is partly due to the arrival of the Portuguese Court in 1808, which was fleeing Napoleon. While the Spanish empire split into several republics, the Portuguese empire, by then, had its center in Rio de Janeiro.

For many historians, slavery also helped maintain unity. After all, the regional elites depended on imperial power to sustain the slave system and suppress separatist revolts.

Brazil as an economic archipelago

Even though it was united, however, Brazil functioned for centuries as an economic archipelago, as the economist Celso Furtado showed. Each cycle, for example, populated a different region:

• Sugar (16th and 17th centuries): the Northeast.
• Gold (18th century): Minas Gerais, Goiás and Mato Grosso.
• Coffee (19th and 20th centuries): the Southeast.
• Rubber (late 19th and early 20th centuries): the Amazon.

Moreover, these regions were linked mainly by coastal shipping. Consequently, during the Second World War, German submarine attacks on Brazilian ships severely disrupted the connection between the North and the South.

The economic foundations of the 16th and 17th centuries

The first major economic activity was sugar, favored by the climate and soil of the Northeast. With it, however, came the trade in enslaved Africans, which began in the 16th century and was only banned in 1850. Millions of people were brought from regions such as Guinea, Angola and Mozambique.

In addition, the Recôncavo Baiano produced tobacco, which was used as a bargaining currency in the slave trade. Meanwhile, the agreste had food crops and, in the sertão, cattle ranching spread along the São Francisco River. See more about monoculture and slave labor in Colonial Brazil.

What each historical map of colonial Brazil reveals

The old maps of colonial Brazil are, without a doubt, important historical sources. However, they are not neutral images: they show the values and interests of those who made them, the Europeans. For example, many maps of Brazil depict the Indigenous peoples as “cannibals”, alongside exotic animals and sea monsters.

Furthermore, the maps served several purposes. First, they guided navigators on their voyages. They also identified areas for exploitation, such as rivers, ports and regions with gold or brazilwood. For this reason, whoever had good maps had a strategic advantage.

Examples of old maps of Brazil

• Hondius (1606): the map of America shows the territory with approximate dimensions, since the interior was still little known.
• Blaeu (1640): Blaeu’s maps mark the hereditary captaincies along the coast.
• Jacques de Vau de Claye (16th century): according to historians, his maps worked almost like espionage, with information about the Indigenous peoples who were friendly or hostile to the French.

See also the cartography of the great discoveries.

French and Dutch presence in Brazil

Besides Portugal, France and the Netherlands also settled on the coast of Brazil. In general, the French presence was shorter and based on alliances with the Indigenous peoples; the Dutch one, on the other hand, was longer and more organized, focused on sugar.

	France	Netherlands
Where	Rio de Janeiro (France Antarctique) and Maranhão (Equinoctial France)	Salvador and, later, Pernambuco and the Northeast
When	1555–1567 and 1612–1615	1624–1625 (Salvador) and 1630–1654 (Pernambuco)
Goal	Brazilwood, trade and a colony for Protestants	Controlling sugar production and trade
Highlight	Alliances with the Tupinambás; founding of São Luís (1612)	Government of John Maurice of Nassau (1637–1644) in Recife
End	Expelled by the Portuguese	Expelled in the Pernambuco Insurrection (1654)

See more about the Iberian Union and the Dutch invasion.

Video on the territorial evolution of Brazil

Evolução e a expansão territorial do Brasil

Frequently asked questions about the map of colonial Brazil

What does a historical map of colonial Brazil reveal?

It shows how Europeans saw the territory and the Indigenous peoples, as well as routes, ports and riches.

That is why they are not neutral images: they reflect the values of those who made them.

What did the map of Brazil look like in 1500?

Only the coast was known; the interior appeared empty or with imaginary rivers and lakes.

In addition, the line of the Treaty of Tordesillas, from 1494, was in force.

When were the hereditary captaincies created?

In 1534, by King Dom João III.

Thus, the coast was divided into strips granted to lord proprietors.

What is the difference between the French and the Dutch presence in Brazil?

The French presence was short and based on alliances with Indigenous peoples; the Dutch one, by contrast, lasted longer and controlled the sugar of the Northeast.

In the end, however, both were expelled by the Portuguese.

Why did Brazil not split up like Spanish America?

Partly because of the arrival of the Portuguese Court in 1808 and also because of the elites’ interest in maintaining slavery.

Thus, imperial power ensured unity after 1822.

Gallery: Antique Maps of Brazil from 1550 to 1884

First, the maps below are in approximate chronological order. This way, you can see how the depiction of Brazil and the Americas changed over more than three centuries. Click on each map to enlarge it.