Cannibals of Brazil: The slaughter houses of Fries, Holbein and Münster (S. XVI)

Abstract

The focus of the present article is German cartography of first half of the XVI century, in particular the images created by Lorenz Fries, Hans Holbein and Sebástien Münster of the huge slaughter houses where Brazilian natives were shown devouring human bodies. The text analyzes the vignettes, which show cannibalistic practices, showing how medieval beliefs influenced the representation of cannibalism in the New World.