A economia colonial do Grão-Pará: uma avaliação crítica (1720-1822)

Abstract

Based on work of restoration of time series of some important economic variables that extend from 1720 to 1822, the paper aims to contribute to a vision of the Amazonian colonial economy that emphasizes the global context - it means a demonstrated ability to assert itself as sub-system of the Portuguese Colonial Empire in the context of world market. In discussing this capacity, the article evaluates the evolution of fundamental conditions of efficiency of the colony, considering them as determined by the peculiar features that assumed the local operation of the colonial project in Grão-Pará. These conditions, strongly characterized by the uniqueness of the natural foundations of the Amazonian biome, are evaluated in reference to the institutional changes that mark in time the trajectory of the regional economy and society.