Monte Pascoal

For ships named Monte Pascoal, see List of ships named Monte Pascoal.
Monte Pascoal
Monte Pascoal as seen from the sea
Highest point
Elevation586 m (1,923 ft)
Coordinates16°53′45″S 39°24′28″W / 16.895965°S 39.407814°W / -16.895965; -39.407814
Naming
English translationThe Mount of Easter
Geography
Monte Pascoal
Location of Monte Pascoal in Brazil

Monte Pascoal is a 586-meter mountain to the south of the city of Porto Seguro, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. According to historians, it was the first part of land viewed by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, allegedly the first European to arrive in Brazil, on April 22, 1500.[1]

The identification of the mountain as the first terrain officially saw by the Portuguese is based on the interpretation of the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha and the historical tradition consolidated since the colonial period.[2][3]

The area surrounding Monte Pascoal is the traditional territory of the Pataxó people and integrates, since 1961, the Monte Pascoal National Park. The park is recognized for its ecological, historical and cultural significance to Brazil: it is one of the locations where the old growth Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) remains, and has been preserved.[4]

Etimology

According to the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha, the captain of the fleet, Pedro Álvares Cabral, named the mountain Monte Pascoal (The Mount of Easter) as a consequence of the nearby date of Easter of that year in relation to the mountain's sighting.[3]

Portuguese: Neste mesmo dia, a horas de véspera, houvemos vista de terra! A saber, primeiramente de um grande monte, muito alto e redondo; e de outras serras mais baixas ao sul dele; e de terra chã, com grandes arvoredos; ao qual monte alto o capitão pôs o nome de O Monte Pascoal (monte da Páscoa) e à terra A Terra de Vera Cruz!

[In this same day, on the vespers, we saw land! Firstly, a great mount, very tall and round; and another lower mountains at his south; and low lands, with large groves; to the great mount, the captain called it the Mount of Easter and the land Land of the True Cross!]

— Pero Vaz de Caminha, Letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha

History

Indigenous people

Long before the arrival of the Europeans, the region of today's Monte Pascoal was inhabited by members of the Tupi people and later by the Pataxó. The Pataxó still inhabit the regions of Monte Pascoal, possessing spiritual and cultural links with the area.[5]

Ethno-historical records confirm practices of hunting, gathering, gardening and florest management in the region since before the Portuguese colonization.[6]

Cabral and the Portuguese

Caminha describes a "very round and tall" elevation that has been usually interpreted as Monte Pascoal.[3] The reports of chroniclers and historians like Jaime Cortesão and Capistrano de Abreu support this identification, even if there's a acknowledgement of the poor cartography of the Portuguese writings of the 1500s.[7]

Historical discussions

A section of historical research argues that Vicente Yáñez Pinzón arrived in the American continent before Cabral near the coast of today's Pernambuco on January, 1500.[8][9] This discussion doesn't invalidate the symbolic weight of the mountain in the production of narratives about the Discovery, but reframes the episode in the broader context of the Age of Discovery.[10]

Geography

Monte Pascoal is highlighted as an isolated elevated region at Bahia's coastline, easily visible from the sea and covered by a thick rainforest.[11] The mountain is located approximately 62 km south of Porto Seguro[12], being part of a transition between the coastline environments, sandbank vegetation (restingas), sandy plateaus and areas of Atlantic Forest.[11]

Recent studies also classify the region as a high-priority area for the Atlantic Forest biological conservation efforts for its high degree of endemism and dense ecological web.[13][14]

Culture and symbolism

To the Pataxó people, the mountain is a mark of identity, place of memory and ritual space.[5]

In colonial Brazil cartography and iconography, Monte Pascoal was frequently present as a symbol of the start of the portuguese presence in Brazilian territory.[15]

Monte Pascoal National Park

Main article: Monte Pascoal National Park

The Parque Nacional e Histórico do Monte Pascoal (National and Historical Monte Pascoal Park or simply Monte Pascoal National Park) was created by the decree no. 242, of 29 November, 1961, with an initial area of 22,500 ha.[16] The unity is part of the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor and houses significant areas of original forest and historical sites of colonial Brazil. The facility's management is shared with the Pataxó community. The Pataxó work in projects in the areas of tourism, environmental care and patrimonial education.[4]

Scholarly studies identify the presence of endangered species in the park's region, highlighting the facility's importance on conserving Atlantic forest biodiversity.[12]

The park can be accessed by the BR-101 after the authorization of the local indigenous leadership.[4] The activities offered range from trails, viewpoints, local fauna observation to ethno-tourism activities developed by the Pataxó community.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cabral Chega ao Brasil: descobrimento ou achamento? | Biblioteca Nacional". antigo.bn.gov.br. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  2. ^ Gandavo, Pero de Magalhães; Silva, Leonardo Dantas; Gandavo, Pero de Magalhães (1995). Tratado da terra do Brasil: 5a. ed. ; História da Província Santa Cruz a que vulgarmente chamamos Brasil, 1576. 12a. ed. Série Descobrimentos. Recife: Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Editora Massangana. ISBN 978-85-7019-276-9.
  3. ^ a b c Cervantes, Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de. "A carta de Pero Vaz de Caminha". Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  4. ^ a b c "Informações Sobre Visitação - Parna e Histórico do Monte Pascoal". Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  5. ^ a b "Pataxó - Povos Indígenas no Brasil". pib.socioambiental.org. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  6. ^ Métraux, Alfred (1948). Handbook of South American Indians. Vol. 3. Smithsonian Institution.
  7. ^ Abreu, Capistrano (1930). Capítulos de História Brasileira (PDF).
  8. ^ Beuchat, Henri (1914). Manual de arqueología americana. p. 77.
  9. ^ Herrera y Tordesillas, Antonio de (1601). Historia general de los hechos de los Castellanos en las islas y tierra firme de el Mar Oceano. p. 348.
  10. ^ Alencastro, Luiz Felipe de (2001). O trato dos viventes: formação do Brasil no Atlântico Sul, séculos XVI e XVII (1. ed., 3. reimpr ed.). São Paulo: Companhia das Letras. ISBN 978-85-359-0008-8.
  11. ^ a b Plano de Manejo Integrado do Fogo (2024-2027) — Parque Nacional e Histórico do Monte Pascoal (PDF). Prado, Bahia: ICMBIo. 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-22.
  12. ^ a b "Parque Nacional e Histórico do Monte Pascoal". Futuri Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  13. ^ Atlântica, Fundação SOS Mata; Espaciais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas (2021). Atlas dos remanescentes florestais da mata atlântica período 2019-2020 (Report) (in Portuguese). INPE.
  14. ^ "Áreas Prioritárias para Conservação — Mata Atlântica (Mapa)". MMA.
  15. ^ Burocracia e sociedade do Brasil colonial: o tribunal superior da Bahia e seus Juízes (in Brazilian Portuguese). Companhia das Letras. 2021-07-07. ISBN 978-85-359-1908-0.
  16. ^ Neves, Tancredo (1961-11-30). "Decreto Nº 242, de 29 de novembro de 1961". www.planalto.gov.br. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  17. ^ "Há 520 anos, potencial turístico do Brasil era descoberto". SETUR — Secretaria de Turismo do Estado da Bahia. 2020-04-27.
  • Media related to Monte Pascoal at Wikimedia Commons
  • WWF on the Monte Pascoal National Park (in Portuguese)
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