M Museums of Brazil Silvia Reis 1 and Alejandra Saladino 2 1 National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2 Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil State of Knowledge and Current Debates The history of museums in Brazil reflects the different policies of colonization, conquering of territories, and creation of imperial and national discourses. From museums and research institu- tions founded to study and collect materials for the metropolis to museums created for a new dis- course of nation (in the twentieth century) or as cultural commodities, legitimating narratives and subaltern memories, eclipsed by historical mem- ory and official discourse, the museums of Brazil are instruments of negotiation of identities and social policies. The history of museums in Brazil begins in the eighteenth century. In the city of Recife, it is possible to identify the first collecting experiences at the Vrijburg Palace (completed in 1642, during the rule of Mauritius of Nassau, during the Dutch occupation), in the form of a botanical garden, a zoo, and a curiosity cabinet, known as “Count’ s Office” (Gabinete do Conde) or “Natural History Museum” (Almeida et al. 2011). In the city of Rio de Janeiro, in 1784, Viceroy D. Luiz de Vasconcellos e Sousa, Count of Figueró, created the Casa de História Natural (House of Natural History), also known popularly as Casa dos Pássaros (House of Birds), for its main collection of stuffed birds. Francisco Xavier Cardoso Caldeira (also known as Francisco Xavier Car- doso dos Pássaros) was responsible for its main- tenance until his death in 1810. Luis Antonio da Costa Barradas became the second and last responsible for this institution, as it was closed in 1813. Its main purpose was to collect and prepare faunal specimens, sending them alive or stuffed to Lisbon, capital of the Portuguese Mon- archy, upon request, and stand as a somewhat cabinet of curiosities. According to D’Almeida (2015), the end of Casa dos Pássaros might have been caused by a disinterest of Count of Resende, successor of Count of Figueró, which led to abandonment and closing of its activities after the death of Francisco Xavier Cardoso. In 1813, Casa dos Pássaros was formally extinguished by Prince Regent D. João VI. Its collections were transferred to the Academia Real Militar (Royal Military Academy), where some of it was lost without conservation. In 1818, D. João VI founded, in the capital of the then Viceroyalty, the Museu Real (Royal Museum), as part of the many institutions created to accommodate the transfer of the court to the colony (Brasil 1818; Museu Real n.d.). Located in the downtown area of Rio de Janeiro, the Museu Real (renamed as Museu Imperial e Nacional in © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 C. Smith (ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_3219-1