Gabriel Soares de Souza

Gabriel Soares de Sousa ( * 1540 in Ribatejo, Portugal, † 1592 in Backlands, Brazil) was a Portuguese writer, researcher, sailors, merchants and colonist and his work Notícia do Brasil, the first comprehensive book on the fauna, flora ethnology of the people in Brazil wrote, which has to date source character.

Life

De Sousa was in 1540 in Ribatejo, a province in Portugal, born. He was a member of the maritime expedition of Francisco Barreto, with which he landed around 1569 in Bahia (now Salvador de Bahia) in Brazil. 1584 he returned to Portugal, and then again to leave for Brazil. He was also nominated for the office of Governor General of Brazil, that he not received. To 1592, he died of a fever in the vastness of the Backlands in Brazil as a member of an expedition.

Work

His work was written in 1587, scientific book " Notícia do Brasil ", which was first published in full by the various manuscript templates in 1851 under the title " Tratado Descritivo do Brasil em 1587 " by Adolfo de Varnhagen Francisco. Another commented by Varnhagen edition appeared in 1879.

The book is divided into 112 chapters and Brazil describes for the first time in all scientific fields: it contains descriptions geographical, botanical, ethnological and linguistic nature. Also, the report contains descriptions of the clothing of the natives, their agriculture, as well as that found in Brazil animals and plants. He also devoted himself to Brazilian mineralogy.

Expenditure

• Tratado Descritivo do Brasil em 1587th Fernanda Trindade Luciani, Organização. Hedra, São Paulo 2010, ISBN 978-85-7715-115-8.