Morte e seca: a cidade de São João do Rio do Peixe (PB) durante a estiagem de 1877/79.

Abstract

The present paper deals with the 1877/79 drought, which occurred in the Northeast, emphasizing what has made this drought so prominent historically. Like this, we first seek to understand how Christians understood illness / death, and what Rituals were performed before and after death for the benefit of his soul. We also highlight the difficulties faced by the sertanejo during the drought period, and the crystallization of discourse that made the drought of 1877/79 the most frequent in the region Northeast. We also address the relationship between death and drought during the 19th century in city ​​of São João do Rio do Peixe - PB, located in Alto Sertão Paraibano. Through the death certificates it is possible to show the number of deaths during the dry season and compare with the years before the drought. The bridge established between the Northeast drought and the deaths that occurred in São João do Rio do Peixe - PB in the late nineteenth century was made through of the transcripts of death certificates acquired in the Nossa Senhora do Rosario, located in that city.