Joaquim Maria Nascentes de Azambuja

Joaquim Maria Nascentes de Azambuja (1812–1896) was born in Rio de Janeiro and graduated in law in São Paulo in 1836. He joined the foreign ministry and served in Washington, Bogotá, Lima, and Asunción. His American service included an early temporary assignment and a later mission as minister during the aftermath of the Civil War. ^{1, 2}

Azambuja’s Washington mission became a point of contact for Americans considering emigration after the Civil War. Historian José Juan Pérez Meléndez identifies at least 75 inquiries received at the legation between February and December 1865. Most came from former Confederate states, although at least 12 originated elsewhere. In January 1867 Azambuja formally notified William Seward that Brazil would open specified stretches of the Amazon and several other rivers to merchant vessels of all nations. ^{3, 2}

Subsequent missions took him to northern South America and Paraguay. In Bogotá he argued Brazil's position on navigation along the Içá, or Putumayo, and its connection with disputed boundaries. He published work on territorial questions and donated his papers to the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute in 1892. His papers include official correspondence, opinions, and material on international and provincial boundaries. He died in Rio de Janeiro in 1896. ¹