A REDE DE CIDADES DO VALE DO JEQUITINHONHA NOS SÉCULOS XVIII E XIX

Abstract

The Jequitinhonha Valley, located in northeast Minas Gerais, presents itself in critical socio-economicstate. Its undervelopment and its peripheral condition in relation to the other areas of the state have becomechronic. Some of the contexts that have originated the current situation can be traced back to previoussocio-spacial configurations. The geo-historical analysis of these contexts surely allows a better understandingof the issue. The study of processes related to the structuring of an urban network in the region, iniciated bythe 18th century, helps to elucidate aspects related to the current state of affairs of the Valley. In this studythe networks, constituted by road linkages, flows and urban localities associated with the structure of theterritory, are analysed, taking into consideration that the improvement of the local conditions is deeplylinked to a broader understanding of its local history.