Engenho Murutucu: caracterização arquitetônica

Abstract

The ruins of the Murutucu Mill, a historic monument listed by IPHAN, are located on EMBRAPA land, next to CEASA, on the outskirts of Belém. The site has been the target of archaeological research developed by the Goeldi Museum since 1986. In the present work we intend to characterize the spatial arrangement of the architectural structures, as well as the materials and construction techniques used in the buildings, in order to seek an archaeological interpretation of the historical processes that took place at the site. In order to contextualize this information, a preliminary historical survey has been carried out in books, newspapers and old photographs. A topographical survey is being carried out at the site to determine the ground plan design with the proper dimensions: thickness, length and height of walls and existing openings. Based on information obtained through the historical survey, the spatial arrangement corresponds to the model found in mills in the north and northeast in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the chapel and the big house higher up than the factory and the senzalas. The study of materials recorded the use of stone and lime masonry and brick and lime masonry in the structures of the walls and foundations. As for orientation, the general ground plan of the engenho shows that the chapel and the big house are on the east-west axis and the factory is on the north-south axis. So far the excavations developed in the area of the big house have revealed the existence of wall foundations that define three rooms besides the veranda. Also found have been fragments of crockery and glassware, characteristic of historic sites from the colonial period. In summary, from what has been observed so far, it can be concluded that the Murutucu Mill site presents an imposing architecture, with traits characteristic of the Neoclassical style, and that partial results on the organization of its spaces, materials and construction techniques, and elements of material culture such as domestic utensils, can already support archaeological hypotheses about the culture of its inhabitants.