Expedition traces Dom Pedro I's path to Brazilian independence
A delegation comprising both Portuguese and Brazilian members will set forth from the Palace of Liberty in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state, on Tuesday (Aug. 29). Their mission is to retrace the historic path of Dom Pedro I, the former emperor of Brazil, leading to the banks of the Ipiranga River in São Paulo, where he declared Brazil's independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822.
Comprising ten individuals from both nations, this 200-year expedition, named "The Paths of Brazilian Independence," will traverse 24 cities within the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
The delegation is under the auspices of the Federation of Portuguese Chambers of Commerce in Brazil, the architect behind the "Portuguese Heroes of Brazil" initiative, which commemorates the 200th anniversary of Independence, observed last year.
Vittorio Lanari, the project's coordinator, shared with Agência Brasil that the concept took root between 2013 and 2014, with the aim of rekindling the legacies of Portuguese figures who played pivotal roles in shaping the Brazil we know today. The initial honoree is Pedro Teixeira, credited with expanding the borders of the Brazilian Amazon beyond the boundaries set by the Treaty of Tordesillas of his era. The second one is Portuguese Captain Martins Soares Moreno, who contributed to expelling the French and Dutch from northeastern Brazil and founded the state of Ceará. The third one is Dom Pedro I, responsible for Brazil's Independence, though Lanari humorously noted, "We are commemorating it a year belatedly."
The expedition will retrace Dom Pedro's journeys, not solely focusing on August and September, when he traversed from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo. "Our journey begins in Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais state) because it was in March and April of 1822 that Dom Pedro I embarked on his first inland trip within Brazil. This expedition aimed to quell a potential separatist uprising looming in the province of Ouro Preto, marking his initial footsteps," elucidated the coordinator.
In May, a rebellion erupted in São Paulo following the deaths of several soldiers. "As the situation escalated, he decided to journey to that state as well, motivated by the same objective: to quash a looming rebellion, ultimately culminating in the declaration of Independence." According to Lanari, "The primary mission of this expedition is to rekindle the legacies of these Portuguese individuals who were relevant in Brazil's history."
