O Campo de Concentração da Seca do Patu

The present research aimed to initiate a discussion about the Drought Concentration Camp of the Patu in 1932, located in the municipality of Senador Pompeu, Ceará, on the banks of the rio Patu, from an archaeological and historical perspective of the landscape and memory. To do this, we initially provided context to the site, considering how the old structures of the English Village were repurposed as the administrative headquarters of the Patu Camp. In this context, three different ways of perceiving the landscape in relation to the built archaeological heritage were observed: the different historical contexts that led to the inspection of the construction of the rio Patu dam; the system of surveillance, control, and imprisonment of the rural inhabitants during its use as a Concentration Camp; and, currently, the aspects of memory. At the end of the discussion, we understand these spaces as the materialization of a place of memory, and faith as a promoter of remembrance for the rural inhabitants who lost their lives in the concentration camps.