Abstract
In this work we discuss the expansion politics and proposals of territorial control for the borderland zone between the backwoods of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais in the 19th century. We aim at presenting the ways in which the local authorities of these provinces planned the colonization of indigenous lands, as well as identifying some of their territorial strategies. We focus our analysis in the area between Campos (RJ) and Muriaé (MG), with the intention of comprehending how the project of civilizing the Natives contributed for the political and economic transformation of this wide region, which resulted in territorial conflicts that expressed different uses and projects for that territory.
Key words:
Native-Brazilian; Territorial Politics; Backwoods of Muriaé and Campos; Civilization