Study Says Cabral First Reached Rio Grande do Norte, Challenging Bahia Tradition

Overview

• Published in the Journal of Navigation, the UFRN–UFPB study argues Cabral’s first sighting and landfall occurred on the RN coast between Rio do Fogo, São Miguel do Gostoso and Pedra Grande.
• The route was reconstructed by combining Caminha’s distances and timings with models of trade winds, Atlantic currents and the Coriolis effect, producing an S-shaped track from Cape Verde.
• Topographic and bathymetric checks favored RN: Serra Verde fits the “high, rounded hill” better than Monte Pascoal, anchorage depths near 55 meters align, and Praia do Marco appears larger and more sheltered.
• The authors propose first contact at Praia de Zumbi at the Punaú river mouth, followed by Praia do Marco near a 1501 Portuguese marker, with “red cliffs” to the south matching the Barreira do Inferno.
• Specialists welcome the modeling but urge caution, saying Mestre João’s and an anonymous pilot’s contemporary accounts must be integrated before altering the accepted Bahia-based narrative.