O rio Potengi e a cidade do Natal em cinco tempos históricos. Aproximações e distanciamentos

The city of Natal, capital of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, emerged and evolved “in the shadow” of a river, named Potengi. During its history of over four hundred years, the city sometimes approximates, sometimes distances itself from the river, in a movement which is not only physical, but also social and symbolic. This paper proposes an analysis of this relation according to five historical periods – called “Times” in this work - which express, in terms of predominance, this somehow contradictory movement of approximation and dissociation between city and river or between river and city. They are : Time 1. The river as an ally to the emerging city (1599-1614); Time 2. Commerce, river and city (1700-1900); Time 3. The river as an obstacle to the city (1850-1916); Time 4. The aviation approximating the river to the city (1920-1945); Time 5. The river “invisible” to the city (since 1945). Without any pretension to completion – after all, it is a history of over four centuries – this paper highlights, however, specific expressions of historical processes which are quite longer involving the relation between the city of Natal and the Potengi River