What does «capitanías» mean in Spanish?
- In the colonial history of Brazil, its territory was divided after its discovery (1532) into large portions that stretched from the coast to the interior. The captaincies - 18 in number - were hereditary and, when Brazil became independent (1822), they became provinces: Grao-Pará, Maranhao, Piauti, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Goiás and Mato Grosso.
- (capitanías generales) Capitanía General was a territory under Spanish or Portuguese colonial administration. The captaincies general were established districts that were under threat of foreign invasion or Indian attack. Their governors were the Capitanes General.