This article deals with the comparison between what is discussed by recent historiographical production and what History textbooks offer concerning Brazil's Colonial Period. The themes include the formation of the Monarchy and the State in Portugal, the antecedents and causes of overseas expansion, the significance of Cabral's travels and, lastly, the Portuguese Imperial dynamics up to the mid-16th century. The historical phenomena and processes brought up here can be considered as pointing toward a historical conception which works as a backdrop to the way in which the history of Brazil is dealt with and how textbooks are organized.
Brazilian historiography; Portuguese America; Colonial Brazil; History teaching; History textbooks