‘Like a vast barn’: perceptions of nature during the colonization of Western Santa Catarina (1916-1950)

Abstract The borders between the Brazilian states of Paraná and Santa Catarina were defined after the end of the War of the Contestado (1912-1916). Colonizing companies began to sell the land that was ceded to Santa Catarina in lots directed toward family agriculture, especially to descendants of European immigrants who lived in colonies in Rio Grande do Sul. This radically altered the environment through logging as well as expansion of farming. These practices were pursued and encouraged by the state authorities, who considered them the best way to effectively incorporate these lands into the state of Santa Catarina. The article shows how nature and the environment were represented in this context; this is the result of a literature review, analysis of documents produced by the government of Santa Catarina, newspaper articles, advertisements by colonizing companies, and especially the work of Othon D’Eça entitled “To the confining Spaniards”.