[Introduction] Portuguese Background in Mumbai
The official arrival of the Portuguese to Mumbai was in 1534. Francis Almedia of Portugal came to Mumbai intending to secure a route for the Portuguese spice trade. The Portuguese sought to use Mumbai and its proximity to the Arabian Sea as a way to access Malacca (1). As such, Mumbai became a Portuguese trading centre and over the years, trade expanded to include silk, muslin, chintz, onyx, rice, cotton, and tobacco. By 1626, the Mumbai area was populated with a warehouse, friary, fort, ship building yard, as well as many new houses and mansions (1).
This map, entitled Demonstração da Fortaleza de Mombaim (Map of the Fortress of Mumbai), was created in 1635 and features many of the aforementioned elements of the urban infrastructure. The map is titled and labeled in Portuguese as it was made by the colonists. At first sight, the map is cheery with bright and colourful images and symbols. However, upon further inspection, it becomes clear that:
This map and others in its collection paint a picture of colonialism through depicting three key characteristics: military defense, cultural insensitivity, and objectification.
As Cosgrove writes, “[The distorted] legacy [of maps] tends to underemphasize the partial, open, and contingent qualities of the map object in favour of its closures, certainties, and aesthetics” (14). It can be easy to accept the map as an aesthetically-pleasing illustration that depicts reality accurately. However, there are also hidden elements beneath the surface that reveal the intricacies and nuances of colonialism. I will uncover these elements in the following pages.