The article examines the persistence of certain theoretical foundations of Brazilian archeology and Americanist thought. The theory of indigenous degeneration and the colonialist argument display a secular continuity characterized by common political and thematic lines. This is analyzed through a comparison of some of the topics addressed in the works of seminal figures like Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, and Betty Jane Meggers.
history of the sciences; Brazilian archeology; Americanist thought; degeneration; colonialism