The Seductive Waters of the West: Rivers and Waterfalls in the Struggle for the Transfer of the Federal Capital to Central Brazil (1892-1953).

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of rivers and waterfalls in propaganda efforts of intellectuals in the state Goiás, who favored the move of the Brazilian capital to the Planalto Central region, delimited by the Misión Cruls (1892-1894). One of the arguments most commonly used by the elite Goianas to promote state communication and economic possibilities during the first half of the 20th century, related to the possession of the source of the major river basins of South America (Plata, Amazon, San Francisco). Through the examination of articles published in a wide range of media, especially in the magazines A Informação Goyana and Oeste, this article explores the weight given to rivers and waterfalls in the Planalto Central region and the Brazilian divortium aquarum, a strategic territory with an abundance of potable water and significant hydroelectric potential.