Founding
municipality of Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil
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Natal (Brazilian Portuguese: [naˈtaw]) is a Brazilian municipality and the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Situated 2,227 kilometers from Brasília, the federal capital, it is the second smallest Brazilian state capital in area, covering an area of approximately 167 km2 (64 sq mi). With just over 750,000 inhabitants (2022), it is the most populous municipality in its state, the eighth in the Northeast, and the 24th in Brazil. The Greater Natal, composed of thirteen other municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte, has more than 1.5 million inhabitants, making it the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the Northeast and the nineteenth largest in Brazil.
Founded on Christmas Day in 1599 on the banks of the Potengi River, which separates the North Zone from the others, the city was occupied by the Dutch between 1633 and 1654, during which it was named New Amsterdam. Its growth was slow during the first three centuries of its existence. Only from the 20th century onward did Natal undergo an intense modernization process, and beginning with World War II, its population began to grow at a faster pace, especially throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Its location near the "corner of South America" caught the attention of the United States Department of War, which considered Natal "one of the four most strategic points in the world." With the start of operations at the first rocket launch base in South America — the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center in Parnamirim — Natal became known as the "Space Capital of Brazil." The construction of the Via Costeira, a coastal highway between the Atlantic Ocean and Natal Dunes State Park that connects the beaches of Areia Preta and Ponta Negra, greatly boosted local tourism.
The history of Natal is closely intertwined with that of the Rio Grande do Norte. The Captaincy of Rio Grande began in 1535, with the arrival of a fleet commanded by Aires da Cunha, acting on behalf of the donatary João de Barros and the King of Portugal. The goal was to colonize the region, a task made difficult by the fierce resistance of the Potiguara Indigenous people and French pirates who traded brazilwood. Thus began the historical trajectory of the area located at the "corner" of South America.
On 25 December 1597, a new squadron entered the mouth of what is now the Potengi River. The first measure taken by the expeditionaries was to secure themselves against attacks from Indigenous groups and French corsairs. Twelve days later, on 6 January 1598, construction began on the Barra do Rio Grande Fortress (later known as the Fortress of the Three Wise Men), which was completed on 24 June of the same year.
The following year, on 25 December 1599, a mass was celebrated where the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Presentation now stands, marking the foundation of Natal. The original urban perimeter was demarcated by two crosses — from the current Mothers Square (northern limit) to Santa Cruz da Bica Square (southern limit), both located in the Cidade Alta (Upper City).
There is no consensus among historians regarding the true founder of the city, as historical documents about Natal's foundation were destroyed during the Dutch occupation of Rio Grande do Norte. Some historians credit Jerônimo de Albuquerque, while others attribute the founding to Manuel de Mascarenhas Homem. However, the historian from Natal, Luís da Câmara Cascudo, in his book História do Rio Grande do Norte (1955), identifies João Rodrigues Colaço as the founder of the city:
(...) Jerônimo d’Albuquerque was no longer in command in March or April 1599, and by January 9, 1600 — fifteen days after the founding of the city — Colaço was captain of the fortress and had conducted fieldwork showing his authority in the area. Thus, all evidence seems to invalidate the tradition that Jerônimo d’Albuquerque founded the city of Natal, and that honor, at least provisionally, belongs to João Rodrigues Colaço.
In 1601, by decree of the Portuguese Crown, the Parish of Our Lady of the Presentation was created — the first parish in Rio Grande do Norte.
In 1631, a fleet of fourteen ships departed from Recife and landed in Ponta Negra, intending to conquer the Captaincy of Rio Grande, but the attempt failed. Only in December 1633 did the Dutch occupation truly begin, when Dutch forces arrived in Natal, wounded the captain-major Pero Mendes Gouveia, and seized the Barra do Rio Grande Fortress, renaming it Castle of Keulen. The fortress, previously built of clay, was reconstructed in masonry, and Natal was renamed New Amsterdam, in reference to the Dutch capital.
The occupation ended only in 1654, when the Dutch were expelled by the Portuguese and New Amsterdam regained its original name, Natal. In 1661, the Netherlands officially recognized Portuguese sovereignty over northeastern Brazil through the Treaty of The Hague. After the occupation, the Portuguese resumed control of the territory, expanding inland. However, this process was far from peaceful, as many Indigenous peoples were persecuted and decimated. Stability in the Captaincy of Rio Grande would only come at the end of the 17th century, under the governance of Bernardo Vieira de Melo.
At the beginning of the 18th century, construction began on the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People, completed in 1714. On 21 November 1753, a group of fishermen found a wooden box stranded on rocks along the right bank of the Potengi River, near the present-day Rosary Stone (Pedra do Rosário). Inside was a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and a message stating that no misfortune would befall the place where the image rested. The fishermen informed the local parish priest, Manoel Correia Gomes, who confirmed that the statue was indeed of Our Lady of the Rosary. The image was proclaimed patroness of Natal and renamed Our Lady of the Presentation, since 21 November is the date when the Catholic Church celebrates the Presentation of Mary at the Temple in Jerusalem. In the second half of the 18th century, construction began on the Church of Saint Anthony, the third Catholic temple in Natal, later nicknamed the "Church of the Rooster."
In 1817, during the Pernambucan Insurrection, the Rio Grande do Norte region joined the movement under the leadership of André de Albuquerque Maranhão, a wealthy sugar mill owner. On 29 March, he seized power in the city and formed a provisional government, but it lacked popular support. After the revolutionaries defeat in Pernambuco, the movement lost momentum, and André was overthrown and wounded on 25 April, imprisoned in the Fortress of the Three Wise Men, and died the next day.
On 7 September 1822, Brazil's independence from Portugal was proclaimed in São Paulo, but due to the distance, the news took time to reach Rio Grande do Norte. The province, now part of the Empire of Brazil, celebrated independence in Natal on 22 January 1823, when the city had about 700 inhabitants.
In 1856, Natal inaugurated its first cemetery, the Alecrim Cemetery. In 1862, the construction of the tower of the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Presentation was completed. On 4 August 1878, the telegraph service was inaugurated. On 28 September 1881, the Ribeira Railway Station was opened — the oldest train station in Rio Grande do Norte, currently operated by the Brazilian Urban Train Company.
In 1888, the Natal City Council renamed Matriz Square as André de Albuquerque Square, which marks the city's zero milestone, surrounded by important historical buildings. Finally, on 15 November 1889, with the fall of the monarchy and the Proclamation of the Republic, Rio Grande do Norte became a state, with Natal remaining its capital.
The second half of the 19th century was marked by the city's growth, driven by the cotton cycle, along the banks of the Potengi River, where the Port of Natal stands today.
The first decades of the 20th century were marked by intense modernization in the city. In 1901, the neighborhood Cidade Nova was created — corresponding today to the districts of Tirol and Petrópolis. On 24 March 1904, the Carlos Gomes Theater (Alberto Maranhão Theatre since 1957) was inaugurated. In the same year, acetylene gas lighting arrived in what is now Cidade Alta. Also in 1904, about 15,000 people from the countryside, suffering from a severe drought that had persisted since 1902, migrated to the city in search of better living conditions. Four years later, the first animal-drawn trams began operating, running from Silva Jardim Street to Priest João Maria Square.
On 29 December 1909, Pope Pius X, through the papal bull Apostolicam in Singulis, created the Diocese of Natal, separated from the Diocese of Paraíba, and the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Presentation became the cathedral of the new diocese, whose territory covered the entire state of Rio Grande do Norte. The first bishop, Joaquim Antônio de Almeida, was appointed the following year and officially took office on 15 June 1911. Also in 1911, several significant events occurred: the creation of the Alecrim neighborhood, the installation of the first telephone line, the introduction of electric trams, and the arrival of cinema. The city's first power plant was also built, replacing gas lighting.
In 1912, construction began on a metal bridge designed by French engineer Georges Camille Imbaul, the English Bridge (Ponte dos Ingleses), spanning 550 meters, with steel imported from England. It was inaugurated on 20 April 1916, boosting Natal's commerce and improving access between the capital and the countryside, which had previously been possible only by crossing the Potengi River by boat. According to the 1920 census, Natal's population reached 30,696 inhabitants, almost double the 16,596 recorded in 1900.
On 7 September 1922, as Brazil celebrated the centennial of its independence, the Felipe Camarão Palace was inaugurated as the seat of the municipal administration (then called the intendency). The building only received its current name on 20 May 1955, in honor of Antônio Felipe Camarão, an Indigenous leader who fought against Dutch domination in Brazil. The palace housed the city hall until 1966, later restored and reopened in 1979.
From 1927 onward, Natal began to gain importance in the history of aviation, as seaplanes started landing on the waters of the Potengi River. On 19 March 1928, Januário Cicco founded the Natal Maternity Hospital, later renamed in his honor on 12 February 1950. In 1929, the office of intendente (municipal administrator) was officially transformed into mayor, and Omar O'Grady, who had served since November 1924, became Natal's first mayor, remaining in office until 8 October 1930, when all mayors in Rio Grande do Norte were removed during a revolutionary movement.
On New Year's Day of 1931, the Italian ship Lazzaro Malocello, commanded by Commander Carlo Alberto Coraggio, arrived in Natal carrying the Capitoline Column, a piece of Ancient Rome, donated by Benito Mussolini to commemorate the first flight from Natal to Rome, completed in 1928. On 6 January 1931, the city was visited by the Italian Air Force, and two days later, the Capitoline Column was formally inaugurated. On 21 October 1932, a presidential decree created the Port of Natal, which began operations three days later.
On the night of 23 November 1935, during a graduation ceremony at the Carlos Gomes Theater, the Communist Uprising (Intentona Comunista) erupted, targeting first the 21st Infantry Battalion Barracks, now the Winston Churchill State School. Two days later, rebels seized control of the city, forming a revolutionary popular committee. Several people were killed, and banks, warehouses, and shops were looted. The uprising spread to Recife the next day and to Rio de Janeiro by 27 November, but it quickly lost strength as troops from Ceará and Paraíba arrived to suppress it. The rebels abandoned the city and were eventually defeated in the Doctor's Mountain (Serra do Doutor) region, in Campo Redondo, as they attempted to flee toward Seridó.
On 28 January 1943, the USS Humboldt docked at the Port of Natal, carrying U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, returning from the Casablanca Conference in Morocco. On this occasion, Roosevelt met with Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas. The meeting became known as the Potengi Conference, during which both leaders discussed Brazil's entry into the war — leading to the creation of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force.
With the advent of World War II, Natal continued to grow rapidly, driven by the presence of Brazilian and Allied troops, especially Americans. Close relations developed between the locals and U.S. military personnel, with numerous social gatherings and dances, which introduced foreign musical styles and gradually transformed the city's cultural habits. Natal's population grew from 54,836 in 1940 to 103,215 in 1950, nearly doubling in just one decade.
Due to its location near the "corner of South America," the U.S. Department of War considered Natal "one of the four most strategic points in the world," alongside the Suez Canal (Egypt), the Bosporus Strait (Turkey), and the Strait of Gibraltar (between Africa and Europe).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Natal, Rio Grande do Norte”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.