Essay on the history, expansion and urban Landscape of Cáceres, MT

Abstract

This article aims to present an essay on the history, urban development and urban landscape of Cáceres, in the southwest of Mato Grosso. The city of Cáceres, formerly Vila Maria do Paraguai, founded by Portuguese crown in 1778, with the aim of consolidating its expansion in the region, serving as a support between Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade and Vila Real do Senhor Bom Jesus de Cuiabá. In the same way as occured in Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, the initial urban plan of Vila Maria do Paraguai was developed in an orthogonal way, as a principle of ordination and control over the place, by the Portuguese crown. The development of Vila Maria do Paraguai, currently Cáceres, reached its peak after the Paraguayan war, in 1870, until the first decades of the 20th century, especially due the extensive circulation of goods along Paraguay river and the agricultural production of farms in the region. Despite of road investments in the 20th century, Cáceres economy plunged due to the development of other more central áreas in the state of Mato Grosso. However, the urban landscape of Cáceres brings a rich collection of Building that have been preserved