The Unmappable Serto

Abstract:This article traces the intellectual history of the serto as a concept that not only signifies distinct geographical and topographical traits but also Portugal' projection of cultural Otherness. Though the serto remains inextricably bound to Brazilian culture, this article seeks to demonstrate the Portuguese roots of the serto, especially as manifest in Portuguese cartography from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The cartographic history of the serto deepens our understanding of Portugal' cartographic imagination, colonial expansion, exploration of Brazil' vast interior, and encounters with indigenous peoples.