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The received view of historians is that the Portuguese explorer and navigator, Pedro Álvares Cabral, was the first European to discover Brazil, in April 22, 1500, blown westwards to the Brazilian coast while navigating to the Cape of Good Hope, on his way to India.^[1]

It is uncertain whether this conventional explanation is true or whether the whole expedition was a secret mission to find new lands in the Atlantic as a response to the Spanish claims that Amerigo Vespucci had visited the north coast of Brazil in July 1499 and that Vicente Yáñez Pinzón had done so in 1500. According to the Treaty of Tordesillas of (1494), Spain could not claim those lands.^{[citation needed]}

It has also been suggested that Duarte Pacheco Pereira discovered Brazil in 1498. In the book, "Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415-1580", the authors make the following comment:

"What really is important," Duarte Leite says, "is to know whether Pacheco arrived in Brazil before Alvares Cabral (April 22, 1500). In agreement with Luciano Pereira, such modern Portuguese historians as Faustmo da Fonseca, Brito Rebelo, Lopes de Mendonca, and Jaime Cortesao say he did, as does . . . Vignaud; and I believe he does not lack supporters in Brazil. However," says Leite, if Pacheco did discover areas east of the Line of Demarcation and did bring back news of this to [King] Manuel, "the reason which induced Don Manuel to keep secret. . . such an important discovery escapes me." As soon as Cabral returned in 1501, Manuel announced the discovery of Brazil to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Why would he not in 1499, after the return of Vasco da Gama, make a similar announcement if Pacheco had already discovered Brazil? "No objection could come on the part of Spain," given the division made by the Treaty of Tordesillas, as "indeed none came in 1501" when Cabral's discovery was announced. "I am persuaded that Pacheco neither discovered Brazil in 1498 nor was present two years later at its discovery by Cabral."^[2]

[edit] External links

• The Discovery of Brazil-Accidental or Intentional?, Charles E. Nowell, The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Aug., 1936), pp. 311-338

[edit] References

1. ^ Fausto, Boris (1999). A concise history of Brazil. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 6. ISBN 052156526X. 
2. ^ Diffie, Bailey Wallys; Boyd C. Shafer; George Davison Winius Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415-1580 University of Minnesota Press, Nov 1977 ISBN: 978-0816607822 p. 452 [1]