Iconographers-Chroniclers about Parahyba (1500-1822): the Geoheritage

The natural landscape of João Pessoa and its surroundings are among the most beautiful in the country blending paradisiac beaches with imposing cliffs reefs among other geoheritage elements. In addition to this the municipality of João Pessoa has a historic center with buildings among the oldest in the country that reflect a historical period relating to the Portuguese occupation and conquest. Consequently the privileged nature associated with the important cultural heritage result in the appropriation of this coastal environment with the consequent urban evolution dating from the sixteenth century. The objective of this work is to present the perception of the several writers who were present in the Captaincy of Parahyba during the colonial period on the elements of geodiversity that were primordial for the consolidation and urban expansion of its capital Nossa Senhora das Neves. In order to achieve this several historical documents elaborated by these travellers were used to disclosure the geoheritage of the Captaincy and to encourage the communities to rediscover their roots and identity linked to the physical elements of this space.