The anti-Noah's Arks of colonization: Pero Lopes de Sousa's Diário da navegação

Abstract

The travel report called Diário da navegação is an important historical document about Martim Afonso de Sousa’s expedition to South América in 1530-1532, even if it is not a primary source. The narrative is probably based on a previous diary written by Pero Lopes de Sousa, the captain’s youngest brother and an experimented navigator, with a large knowledge in geography, astronomy and navigation technics. It presents us the adventures and beauties experienced in superb landscapes, full of rivers and very rich ecosystems. But it also tells us in details about the massive destruction of nature caused by them on their search for food. This essay demonstrates that their ships can be interpreted as Noah’s anti-arcs, as they bring natural devastation instead of preservation. But even this opposition can be much more complex than we expect.