Between wars and drunkenness

drinking practices in Dutch Brazil (1624-1654)

Abstract

This article investigates the dynamics of alcoholic beverages during the Dutch domination of Portuguese America (1624–1654), addressing consumption practices, sociability, and control mechanisms during the occupation experience. Based on extensive documentation including accounts from soldiers, chroniclers, administrative reports, pamphlets, and correspondence, the study demonstrates that alcohol occupied a significant place in the daily military and urban life of Dutch Brazil. Perceptions surrounding drunkenness affected social relations among the populations of that period. The presence of wines, brandies, and distilled spirits appears both as a logistical resource for occupations and as a factor in disorder, riots, and indiscipline. Furthermore, the study contextualizes the Dutch overseas expansion carried out by the West India Company (WIC) and the sugar economy within the context of drinking practices. Thus, the analysis, integrated with historical sources, allows for an understanding of both the dynamics of the occupation and the mechanisms of memory construction about Dutch Brazil.