Who discovered Brazil was Pedro Álvares Cabral

In day April 22nd is celebrated annually the Discovery of Brazil, and different from what many people think, it is not a national holiday. This day was marked by the arrival of Portuguese navigators to Brazil for the first time in 1500. But Who discovered Brazil?

Who discovered Brazil?

Who discovered Brazil was Pedro Alvares Cabral on April 22, 1500. The expedition organized by the Portuguese at the request of King Dom Manuel aimed to repeat Vasco da Gama's feat and reach the Indies. They were looking for precious metals like gold and silver and spices!

It is not known for sure why Cabral deviated so much west from its original route, we only know that if it weren't for this, the Portuguese would not have discovered the lands in what was later called the new world.

On the 22nd there was a cry “terra vista”! They sighted a mountain, which received the name of Monte Pascal. The name given to the discovered land was Terra de Santa Cruz, currently the city of Porte Seguro in Bahia. The definitive name, Brazil, only came a few years later, due to the amount of redwood found on the coast!

The letter written by Pero Vaz Caminha and sent to the king in Portugal describes in detail the journey, the discovered land and the natives. This is an important historical document for Brazil and for the world!

The first contact with the local population was made on April 23rd. The Tupiniquin Indians, of Tupi-Guarani origin, inhabited the southern coast of Bahia. Despite the clash between different cultures, they exchanged objects and courtesies peacefully.

Friar Dom Henrique celebrated the first mass on April 26th. And believe me, it was Easter Sunday! Not only the commanders and their crews attended, but also many curious natives attracted by the ritual.

Days later, Cabral continued on his journey until he reached Calicut, but they left behind 2 degraded people – condemned for crimes in Portugal – which months later were rescued and made important contributions to the Portuguese.

After fulfilling the mission that the king had entrusted to him, Pedro Álvares Cabral did not want to return to the ship. Reflecting a little, one soon concludes that he did well because a resounding success is difficult to repeat. Now, Cabral was the first navigator in the History of Humanity to link four continents in a single trip. It faced the mildest and most aggressive tempers of the two oceans known at the time. He strengthened bonds of friendship and made trade pacts with the kings and queens of the East. And he discovered Brazil. All in all, enough and enough to fill a life.

This successful traveler of the king married Dona Isabel de Castro, an illustrious lady who descended from the Portuguese royal family and the Castilian royal family. The couple had six children, two boys and four girls, named after Fernando, Antônio, Constança, Guiomar, Isabel and Leonor.

Installed in Santarém, Pedro Álvares Cabral was always receiving news of the beautiful land he had discovered, after all much bigger and richer than previously thought. And King D's rewards. Manuel I, as he understood the true importance of that discovery.

The navigator rests beside his wife in a tomb in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, in Santarém. His face is carved in stone on the wall of the most beautiful Portuguese monument, the Mosteiro dos Jerônimos. There are also other navigators there, but they look in different directions. Vasco da Gama and his companions Paulo da Gama and Nicolau Coelho are facing East in memory of their arrival in India. Pedro Álvares Cabral, with a discreet smile and an elegant beard, looks to the opposite side, to the West, to Brazil.

Who Discovered Brazil – Background:

• The Discovery of Brazil refers to the arrival of the fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral in the territory where Brazil is today.
• In March 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral left Portugal with 13 caravels towards the Indies. However, a deviation from the route made the navigator reach, on April 22, 1500, the region known today as Porto Seguro.
• At first, Cabral called the new lands Monte Pascoal. Before leaving for India, he decided to change the name to Ilha de Vera Cruz, as he believed it was an island. Later, the territory was called Terras de Santa Cruz.

The term "discovery"

• The term "Discovery of Brazil" is questioned by many historians and researchers.
• Eyesight eurocentric: indicates that our land was not inhabited and the Portuguese were the first to find it. The presence of more than five million indigenous people who already inhabited Brazil is disregarded.
• Many historians prefer to use the term “Arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil”, valuing the presence of natives in the territory.

Who Discovered Brazil – Chance or Intentional?

Chance: Cabral accidentally deviated from the route, due to miscalculations on the journey towards the Indies.

Intentionality:

• The Portuguese had long had evidence of the existence of land here.
• The existence of maps that, since the Middle Ages, indicated the presence of lands in western Europe.

Who Discovered Brazil – Pero Vaz's Letter

• The “letter of discovery”, by the clerk Pero Vaz de Caminha, is the richest document in details of Cabral's expedition.
• According to him, on April 21, the ships found the first signs of land. The next day, in the morning, they anchored.
• On the 23rd, Nicolau Coelho made his first contact with a group of Tupiniquim Indians. According to Caminha's narrative, the first contacts were friendly, but with great estrangement.
• On the 26th, the first thanksgiving mass was held by Friar Henrique de Coimbra. Soon after the Mass, Cabral's fleet headed for the Indies, its objective

Letter from Pero Vaz de Caminha to King D. Manuel I, reporting on the discovery of the Island of Vera Cruz (Brazil).

Who Discovered Brazil – Video

The controversial passage of the Spaniards in Brazil, three months before Cabral's expedition; and the “discovery” of America by Europeans.

Who Discovered Brazil – Coloring Activities

Brazil was discovered on April 22, 1500 – Paint the scene below:

Coloring Pages about Who Discovered Brazil