Historical rescue of Dr. Salatiel square: the garden of the Cachaça’s Largo São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais State, Brazil(

Abstract

The Dr. Salatiel Square, located at Marechal Bittencourt Street in the historical center of the São João del-Rei city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, appeared in the twentieth century during the period of hygienism. It was inserted in a place that over the years suffered several modifications on its morphology. The work aims to study the landscape aspects and socio-cultural evolution of this square. This work execution consisted of the two steps: field research for the identification of the historical square significance, and a research that was carried out in the historical collections of the city. During the field research, it was collected the current state of Dr. Salatiel Square as well as its uses and potentials, and its botanical composition. Analyzing the square and its surroundings, and also the information collected in São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, it was possible to verify that the site, which nowadays the Dr. Salatiel Square is placed, was occupied before by European influenced houses that were overthrown later in the period of hygienism. Among all the nomenclatures already attributed to the street that shelter the square, the best known by population is Cachaça’s Street due to the commerce of the time which favored the nightlife and bohemia. The square in study is part of the historical center of the city, and all its surroundings are overturned. However, the square has faced significant constructive and botanical modifications on its structure constituting a space characterized by the abandonment due to factors such as accumulation of garbage and great flow of vehicles. From the carried out study, it was verified that the number of information about the place is scarce, so that the continuation of its historical rescue is of great importance for means of preserving the history of the city and the population.