Mirim Lake

Mirim Lake belongs to the coastal lowlands of southern Brazil and Uruguay, where a broad lagoon, wetlands and grasslands create a distinctive environment. Fishing and pasture support local communities, while freshwater and seasonal conditions influence routes and settlement. The lake connects with neighbouring water systems but is separated from the open Atlantic by coastal land. Boats, river approaches and overland paths link households using different resources around its shores.

Archaeological research in the southern basin has identified fish remains at an Indigenous earthen-mound site, evidence for the use of aquatic resources alongside other foods. Early written descriptions from nearby regions can help interpret such evidence, but do not directly document every fishing practice at Mirim. During the early modern centuries Spanish and Portuguese expansion made the wider southern frontier a zone of rivalry, while horses and cattle changed movement and the use of grasslands.