Slavery in Brazil

Slavery in Brazil began when large numbers of African slaves were brought there in order to work on sugar plantations.

The annual sugar crop contributed to the success of Brazilian colonies such as Pernambuco, Bahia, and São Vicente.

Pernambuco had more than 100 sugar plantations by the early 17th century.

Many of the indigenous people refused to work on the plantations, since they believed that farming was women's work, and remaining settled on a plantation was contrary to their nomadic village lifestyle.

These natives either ran away, revolted or committed suicide.

To replace the natives, black slaves were brought from Africa from the middle of the 16th century. About 8,000 slaves arrived each year, reaching about 60,000. The white population was only about 30,000.

People of Mixed Race

The colonial society that evolved in Brazil became a mixture of Europeans, Indians and African slaves. Many children of mixed parentage were born.

The large amount of racial mixing in Brazil, which exceeded that in any other European colonies in the Americas, was due to a shortage of European women, as well as the fact that Portugal itself was a very mixed society, with Europeans, Arabs, Jews and North Africans living side by side.