Isaura Daniel, special envoy*
Mazagão (Amapá) – Those who arrive in the district of Mazagão Velho, in the city of Mazagão, in the northern Brazilian state of Amapá, will notice, at the entrance of the village, five flags. The first is the city flag, the second of the state of Amapá and the third of Brazil. The other two are the Portuguese and Moroccan flags. The flags were raised in front of a small mausoleum where the main proof of the centenarian history of the place is located, the bones of the former residents.
Mazagão was established after the population of a Moroccan city was transferred there in the 18th century. The Portuguese crown decided to send to Brazil the residents of the city, which was also called Mazagão (Mazagan), after losing its dominion to the Moors. The mausoleum where the mortal remains of the ancient inhabitants are located is a replica of the first church built in the village, whose ruins are also there, beside the five flags that guard the entry of Mazagão Velho.
The bones and a large part of the ruins of the first church were discovered after the research that started being executed little over two years ago by the Archaeology Laboratory of the Federal University of Pernambuco, led by archaeologist Marcos Albuquerque. At the beginning of this year, the bones were placed in the mausoleum, where they may be observed by tourists and residents.
Before the research, there were only two walls where the bones were found. "They were just two walls that could be anything. The archaeological excavations showed that they belonged to a church as well as identifying their dimensions, the material used and the construction technique, and they also identified the graves of the first residents," explained Albuquerque.
The church was built out of brick and stone and all its walls, according to the study, showed a wooden armoured structure. The church was catholic, the religion of the Portuguese, and the remains of the bodies were found within it. One of the skeletons carried Malta Cross. "This shows that there were nobles in the area," stated Albuquerque. The cross was given to the Portuguese as a decoration to the nobles.
According to the researcher, the intention is to proceed with the excavations. This is because there are indications that there, surrounding the church, there was a community. "The other functional units of the village must still be excavated, like houses, squares and pillory. We are interested in continuing this research due to its importance for the establishment of the history that is common to Brazil, Portugal and Morocco," stated Albuquerque.
The researcher is even interested in visiting El Jadida, in Morocco, the city that is currently in the place where the Moroccan Mazagão was located. "We want to be able to make a material comparison between our research. I believe that it would be very interesting for both sides." Part of the city of El Jadida, the military fort built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, is now considered World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
Mazagão
The population of Mazagão Velho also has great wishes of expanding the cultural attractions of the district to attract greater number of tourists. The plans of the deputy mayor of Mazagão Velho, Luiz Fernando Pinto, also include the establishment of a museum in which the historic objects found will be placed and where the history of the small village will be located. The research increased the interest of the population of the village for their history. During the excavations, explain the residents, children and adults surrounded the archaeologists at their worksite to learn more about the new findings.
Nowadays, a good part of the population knows how to tell at least a little piece of their history. Some, like the head of the Culture Department of the Administration of the village, Antônio José Pinto, have even become specialists in it. Antônio usually tells those arriving at the village the stories he read in books and those he heard from the older citizens. When asked to, he becomes a guide and shows the ruins and vestiges of the former inhabitants.
The archaeological research was executed by the Archaeology Laboratory at the Federal University of Pernambuco at the request of the government of Amapá, which bore the cost. The Institute for National Artistic and Historical Heritage (Iphan) authorized the excavations and accompanied the discoveries in Mazagão Velho.
*Translated by Mark Ament
