NARROW RIVER: THE TERRITORIAL FORMATION OF AQUIDAUANA THROUGH MILITARY ACTION

a formação territorial de Aquidauana através da ação militar

Abstract

This article reflects on the Territorial Formation of Aquidauana, from the context of the construction and consolidation of the Western Frontier. The aim is to present an overview of this rich process, which spans more than four centuries. The time frame established goes from the end of the 16th century, when the region began to experience European presence, to the middle of the 20th century. Aquidauana, the “narrow river”, has a strong ethnic, cultural, social, etc. presence of native peoples. This “Mesopotamia” between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers was the scene of intense territorial disputes, and Santiago de Xerez is a landmark in this regard. Its ruins reveal how much this territorial cut-off was a nodal point for the bandeirante initiative. The Retirada da Laguna (1867) was yet another reflection of the frictions inherent in the territory, a locus of dispute in essence. At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, the telegraph was the first state initiative to integrate the province. Continuing into the last century, various military organizations were based in the city, with the peak being the participation of the 9th Combat Engineering Battalion in World War II (1939-1945). The following concepts will be fundamental to this work: Territory, Territorialization, Territoriality and Border.