Engenhos e engenhocas: atividade açucareira no estado do Maranhão e Grão-Pará (1706-1750)

Abstract

The sugar cane activity in the State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará, instead of been barely treated for the Brazilian historiography, shows some peculiarities. This thesis pretends to analyze the sugar cane activity in the State in the first half of 18th century and intent to understand the importance of sugar in the region, where this activity was intensely practiced in the called “Brazil Colonial History”. Working with the manuscripts and other documents produced in the period, this thesis intent to identify the meanings of the sugar in this particularly region – not only economic meanings – with the purpose to explain the continuity of the sugar cane activity behalf characteristics problems of it history, like the leak of slaves, Indian attacks, inexistence of metallic coin, etc.