Como o estudo geoarqueológico de aterros construtivos dos séculos XVII ao XIX com análise das relações de poder gerou aportes para a compreensão da urbanização de Salvador, Bahia

This article presents a geoarchaeological analysis of the implementation of constructive landfills that expanded the urbanization of Salvador, Bahia, between the 17th and 19th centuries. The aim is to highlight the relevance of these structures to the urbanization process and territorial control of the Ancient Center of Salvador, carried out by the local elites during the studied period. For a proper presentation, it was necessary to describe the components, form, chronology, and method of implementation of this type of landfill, based on the results of archaeological research, cartographic documents from the time, and secondary sources from the fields of Architecture/Urbanism, Geography, and History. The discussion, centered on landfills as constructive structures, focused on the records of embankments and the filling of cavities opened for building foundations. The research approach adopted was the characterization of constructive landfills within the perspective of anthropogenic terrains, supported by their classification as technogenic deposits and considering them as geological records of human action. As a result, periods of Salvador's urban structuring and the locations where new lands were created were identified, both within the fortified city in the 17th and 18th centuries, and beyond the city walls in the 18th and 19th centuries. The landfills were implemented to promote spatial transformation aimed at territorial appropriation, which benefited the elites.