Rainwater and Modernity in the Amazon

history of sciences in the newspapers of Belém (1890-1920)

Abstract

At the end of the 19th century, the Amazonian cities were impacted by the idea of Modernity, led by the political elite, which sought to dominate Nature, with a focus on water. In Belém do Pará, this project involved the participation of scientists and the dissemination of scientific information through the Pará newspapers that circulated in the early years of the Republic. From the perspective of environmental history, this article will demonstrate how rainwater became an important topic for scientific discourse, even being part of disputes in the political field within the context of the Republic. We identify precipitation as a central element in the history of sciences in the Amazon, and scientific dissemination was related to the periodicals circulating in the capital of Pará. Therefore, water emerges as a central theme for progress. In this sense, we highlight how science in the Amazon became involved in “recommendations and recipes” for creating rain, allowing us to expand our knowledge about the dynamics of that society.