The floodplain of the Lower Amazon as a historical place

Abstract

Following William Denevan's bluff model of riverine settlement, this chapter considers the historical role the floodplain of the Lower Amazon has played in the colonial and postcolonial history of the region. In particular, I focus on the complementarity of the floodplain and the terra firme's settlement during the period of intense colonization of riverine areas. By looking at colonial land records, census data, and economic activities, I argue that the floodplain assumed a special significance in the late colonial period, which made the dual strategy on behalf of individual families neither possible nor desirable. The balance between the zones was complicated by the inclusion of the region in world markets, the development of its own interior trade networks, and the development of a riverine peasantry focused on the floodplain. The ecological complementarity was superseded by economic and political factors that happened to promote the floodplain.