City and territory: changes and permanence of the functional roles of the potiguar

The historical process of territory settling and urban functional transformation that occurred in Brazil can be best illustrated, as far as the State of Rio Grande do Norte is concerned, by the cities of Natal and Assu, two urban settlements that emerged as towns of the conquest of the territory. This article aims at trying to understand the meaning of both towns´ initial conquering role and of their insertion in the territory, as well as the evolution of their urban functions until the modernization process of the 20 th century. Our major interest lies in the presentation of both towns´ initial appearance, when they played three inherent roles: the territorial role - towns for the conquering of the land; the symbolical role – towns for the “conquering of souls”; and the economic role – towns for the conquering of the ‘markets”. These aspects involve the conquest, appropriation and preservation of the territory. Some relevant issues that show the permanence and transformation of this initial function along the insertion of both towns in the modernization process of Brazilian cities constitute the conclusion of this article.