THE MYTH OF “ILHA BRASIL”: THE STRUCTURE OF THE MYTH AND THE IDEA OF A LATIN BRAZIL

Ilha Brasil? Latin Brazil?

Nícollas Cayann’s article revisits the construction of the so-called “myth of Ilha Brasil” and its implications for shaping Brazilian identity in relation to Latin America. The research draws on a critical reading of Navegantes, Bandeirantes, Diplomatas (Sampaio Goes, 1991) and engages with authors such as Ian Watt and Edmund Leach, exploring the role of travel literature and cartography in creating imaginaries about the territory. The article was published in Revista Espirales(v.1, n.1, 2017).

“Ilha Brasil” appeared in maps from the 16th and 17th centuries as an isolated space, surrounded by rivers and legends, feeding utopian visions reminiscent of Thomas More’s Utopia. This imaginary, tied to accounts from travelers and missionaries, reinforced the idea of a country set apart from the rest of the continent, distinguished both by geography and by European narrative.

The author suggests that this myth contributed to Brazil’s symbolic detachment from the concept of “Latin America,” whose formulation was shaped by the Hispanic experience. On the one hand, the myth expressed fascination and exoticism; on the other, it helped consolidate a perception of Brazil as a cultural and political “island,” an idea that still resonates today in debates over Brazilian identity.

The article compellingly shows how literary and cartographic representations shape symbolic boundaries, and how Brazilian latinidad remains an open field of debate, marked by both distances and convergences.

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