In recent years archaeology has been incorporating studies of environmental variables (soil, climate, hydrography, relief), which together with the traditional object, or artifact, contribute to reconstruct the ways of life of past societies, both prehistoric and historical. This work aims to use a historical and geographical approach in order to support research on the mills in the Amazon River estuary, between the 17th and 20th centuries. The sources considered include the works of missionaries, travelers, and naturalists who mentioned in their reports characteristics about sugar cane plantations in the area of Belém and its surroundings. A recent environmental characterization study of the Murutucu sugar mill area was also interpreted, with 1:40,000 scale maps showing the land use, natural system, and spatial organization of the area. It was concluded that there used to be large areas of floodplain forest there, which have been replaced by sugarcane and cocoa plantations. This change in the landscape of Engenho Murutucu is due to the exploitation of the land over almost three centuries: initially, during the engenho period, with sugar cane and cocoa plantations; and in the 20th century, with agricultural experiments conducted by IPEAN, later EMBRAPA.
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