摘要：The "almotaçaria", one of most antique and enduring institutions of Portu-guese cities, was ignored by historiography for a long time. The purpose of this article is to rescue the "almotaçaria" as a historic topic, and to demonstrate that three basic atributions of "almotaçaria"-rights (market, sanity and building control) reveal the deepest meaning of what was considered urban. Political science proposed that Modern State arouse from enlargment of the King's administrative fields. However, the study of "almotaçaria"-rights might conclude that this state of public policies emerges from the appropriation of county's adminitrative attributions.
关键词：Almotaçaria-rights, Brazilian colonial cities, Urban sanitation, market control and building control;Almotaçaria-rights, Brazilian colonial cities, Urban sanitation, market control and building control;Direito de almotaçaria, Cidade colonial brasileira, Sanitarismo, relações de mercado e controle de edificações
