Witchcraft practices in Brazil Case study of two witches accused in Grão-Pará in the 18th century

Abstract

This paper aims to examine and reflect on the Ritual Practices of two women accused of witchcraft in the region of Gra?o-Para? (Brazil) in the eighteenth century. It seeks a deeper analysis of magi- cal healing practices - considered by the Inquisition as witchcraft - and the building of a culture that often denied and demonized by the European view. Women who were considered witches were targets of persecution and active characters of the Gra?o-Para?’s Colonial History, which contributed to the formation of a new cultural identity (multiple) in the colony. This, the analysis will be carried out through the inquisitorial documents about Ludovina Ferreira and the Indian Sabina. These documents are related to the Visitation of the Holy Office of the Inquisition to the site between the years 1763-1769, and are under the custody of the National Archives of Torre do Tombo (ANTT), in Lisbon (Portugal), but have been digitized and are available on the website of the Institution. The analysis is guided by the concept of cosmo-history, developed by the Mexican historian Navarrete Linares, which aims to recognize the existence of several multipolar and interconnected historicities. For the analysis of the documentation, we will use the Indictment Paradigm method of the Italian historian Carlos Ginzburg, which is a more detailed investigation category, based on details and evidence. And, at the end, we will use the comparative method to trace approximations and distances between the two cases.