encampadas

Encampadas is the feminine plural form of encampada in Spanish and Portuguese, used to refer to the act of encamping or to multiple encampments. It denotes a temporary settlement established outside permanent housing by a group, often for military, exploratory, or recreational purposes.

In historical contexts, encampadas describe encampments created by armies or expeditions to secure a position, shelter troops, protect supply routes, or stage operations. Such encampments are typically temporary and rely on tents, bivouacs, or improvised shelters, with organization aimed at mobility, logistics, and defense. The concept is a common feature of campaigns and exploratory ventures across eras, reflecting the practical needs of operating away from established towns.

In contemporary usage, the term can describe organized camping events, scout or youth camps, or protest encampments, where people establish a site for a period. Encampadas is closely related to terms such as campamento, encampment, and bivouac, and appears in Romance-language texts to denote a temporary outdoor settlement. Etymology generally traces encampada to the notion of forming a camp through campamento, linked to the broader linguistic family of camp words.

See also: encampment, campamento, bivouac, protest camp.