Emblems of the Portuguese overseas empire: ideas for cultural history of the padrões

Abstract

There have been many ways to explain the emergence, development and impact of the Portuguese overseas expansion, from the great sea voyages to the spiritual wants of evangelizing through geographical discoveries, the establishment of trade networks or technical advances in the field of navigation and cartography. However, these approaches have rarely been featuring by objects that are in the genesis of the expansion, that is, those emblems that shaped the symbolic representation of the expansionist enterprise and that made sense to the complex experience of controlling distant and unknown worlds. The analysis of some of these objects enriches the history of the expansion and allows us to understand what the ideological engines that boosted it were. The so-called padrões of the discoveries are one of the most notable examples. Through the multiple roles and varied meanings that treasure these commemorative columns, this article attempts to open new horizons to what many consider an old topic