Publication Date
2010
Categories
Minas Gerais, according to the information contained in Breve Descrição Geográfica, Física e Politica de Minas Gerais by Diogo de Vasconcelos, is located in South America, between 335o to 343o and 30' longitude, and between 13o and 22o and 51' latitude.
The region comprised the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais. On 9 November, 1709, a Royal Letter established the Captaincy of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, separating it from Rio de Janeiro. On 2 December 1720, Dom João V established the Captaincy of Minas Gerais, separate from São Paulo. Its first governor was Dom Lourenço de Almeida (1720 - 1732).
The inhabitants of the Captaincy of São Paulo went into the unknown sertões [backlands], clearing the scrublands, searching for Indians to capture. While at this task, they defined the geo-spatial configuration of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais. The first discoveries of gold occurred in 1693. The three octaves (unit of weight representing an eighth of an ounce) of gold presented to the Governor of the Captaincy of Espirito Santo resulted from the discoveries made during the expedition of António Rodrigo Arzão, who departing from São Paulo, traveled to this area. Arzão went to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to gather men and means. Gravelly ill, he delegated responsibility for the expedition to Bartolomeu Bueno. In 1694, Bueno´s expedition departed the town of São Paulo, following Arzão´s route as much as possible.
Twelve octaves was the amount of gold presented for the first time to the Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, António Paes de Sande. In 1700, João Lopes de Lima and Miguel Garcia were recognized as settlers of the region of Corrego do Ribeirão do Carmo, and the lands of Faiscadeiras (a place where gold was found sparkling) were divided. António Dias, Father João de Faria Fialho, and Tomás Lopes de Camargos discovered Córregos and Morros of Ouro Preto. The Faiscadeiras of Sabará were reported by Borba Gato. Other discoveries followed: Caeté, Lavras of São João, and São José of Rio das Mortes.
With news of the riches, people started to arrive in Minas, which caused clashes and disputes, such as the Emboabas´ War between the original settlers from São Paulo, the Paulistas, and the newly-arrived Portuguese settlers (emboabas). Aware of the situation in Minas, the Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Fernando Martins de Mascarenhas, traveled to the region in June of 1710. During this time, his successor, António de Albuquerque Coelho de Carvalho arrived. Albuquerque went on to Minas to put an end to the disputes.
António de Albuquerque regulated the collection of taxes (the quinto, a fifth of the fifth part). On 17 July, 1710, the representatives of the municipality of São Paulo and of the other towns met and agreed that the fifth would be paid in bateias (a type of basin utilized in mining work) or in slaves. This resolution was approved by the King in a letter dated June 24, 1711. Ten octaves of gold were paid per bateia. Dom Brás Baltasar, the following governor, convoked the municipal councils of São Paulo and, on 7 December 1713 in Vila Rica, agreed to a finta (total collection) of 30 arrobas [750 pounds] in each of the years from 1714 to 1717. From this year until 1722, the finta was lowered to 25 arrobas [625 pounds]. Between 1723 and 1724 it was raised to 37 arrobas [925 pounds].
A decree of the King, on 8 February, 1719, ordained the establishment of foundry and mint houses, where the quinto of production was taken to be sent to the metropolitan coffers. The miners opposed the establishing of foundry houses. The conflicts caused by the attempts at imposing this form of tax collection were not few: the mutiny of the people of Morro Vermelho (1715), the rebellion of Felipe dos Santos in Vila Rica (1720).
In 1725, the governor, Dom Lourenço de Almeida, established the foundry houses where the quinto was deducted until 1735. The news of misdirection of taxes, the discovery of clandestine foundry houses, served as the basis for change to a system of tax collection via capitation, which was implemented as of Gomes Freire de Andrade´s government. In the meetings of June 30 and July 1, 1735, it was agreed that each slave or free man dedicated to any trade, would pay 4.75 octaves of gold; the large stores were to pay 24 octaves, while the average and small ones were to pay 16 and 8 octaves of gold respectively; the stands run by slaves were to pay 16 octaves annually.
In an Order dated 3 December, 1750, the King required the re-establishment of foundry houses, accepting a quota of 100 arrobas [250 pounds] annually. It should be emphasized that the arrival of governor Dom Luis da Cunha Menezes (1783), the prohibitions related to manufacturing and handicrafts in the Colony, as well as the decrease in the amount of gold extracted gave rise to dissatisfaction in Minas Gerais. The impossibility of fulfilling the annual payment of 100 arrobas led Dom Luis da Cunha to set the date for the derrama (the day when all debtors should pay their metropolitan tax collection debts at any cost) which reached a climax with the dismantling of the Inconfidência Mineira [Minas Conspiracy] (1789), in which a significant number of the Captaincy´s elite was involved.
References to the discovery of diamonds in the northwest region of the captaincy can be found since the end of the 16th century. It was the discoveries at the beginning of the 18th century in the region of Serro Frio that turned Portuguese America into a great exporter of diamonds. In 1729, the governor of the Captaincy, Dom Lourenço de Almeida, sent to the Court an official notification of the discoveries and organized the development of diamond mining, as well as the collection of taxes from this activity. Between 1729 and 1734, all those who had slaves and capital could work at diamond mining, paying a capitation tax on each slave employed in the work of extraction.
Excessive availability resulted in a decrease in the value of diamonds in the world market. In 1734, a demarcation of the Diamond District was established, a quadrilateral around the market of Tejuco. All diamond exploration activities in the area were suspended with the objective of causing a drop in prices. The exploration of diamonds was reopened in 1739 under a new guise: private contracts were established, which reverted to the Crown after four years.
In order to increase control over the region as well as hinder and diminish smuggling, as of 1745, entry into the demarcated area could occur only in specific places, called Registros (each had an inspector and a military detachment). With the bankruptcy of the fourth contractor, the Crown gained monopoly of the commerce of gems, while the contractors had mining rights only. In the last decade of 1771, the system of contracts was ended by a Royal Order and the mining became the Crown´s exclusive responsibility. The Real Extracção dos Diamantes [Royal Diamond Extraction] was established, and legislation appropriate to the region was enacted, the Regimento Diamantino. By imperial decree, on 13 October, 1831, the fair of Tejuco was elevated to town. On 6 March, 1838, today´s City of Diamantina was established. On 24 September, 1845, the Real Extracção was terminated by decree, and a new administration was instituted, which started the public rental of the diamond-rich areas for a period of four years. This legislation actually went into effect only in 1853.
Minas Gerais also depended on farming and stockbreeding. Two roads assured the ongoing supply of towns, fairs, and estates. The Caminho Velho [Old Road], connected Vila Rica to Paraty Harbor; it was the official road for the outflow of gold and slaves until 1728, when it was replaced. The Caminho Novo [New Road] allowed for a connection between Vila Rica and Rio de Janeiro Harbor. In the coming and going of merchandise, the cattle herders and merchants paid right of way tolls. Strategically located stations controlling the passage of people and merchandise were generally rented to the Crown by private citizens at a cost established by contract, and collected payment for the merchandise being transported.
Initially, the population of the Captaincy was constituted by natives, who belonged to different nations and various tribes, and it was due to wanting to capture natives that adventurers penetrated the interior. In the end, their expeditions provided for the settlement of the region since along the paths they traveled, they established small villages and, later on, fairs. After, with gold and diamond mining, the influx of people into the region was intensified, with the arrival of the europeans, their descendants, and black slaves. There were many mulattos, offspring of the unions between European men and black women mainly; black individuals born in the Colony, as well as mestiços born of european fathers and American mothers, or the opposite.
It was in the Metropolis´ interest to maintain the people calm and assure the outflow of wealth to Portugal. For this purpose, a shared moral, ethical, and religious code of values was key to converting the mining society into a reflection of the metropolitan society itself. Despite all the efforts of the metropolitan authorities in Minas and of the directives that came from the Metropolis, it was not an easy task to mold the settlers to European civilizational standards and, above all, to maintain them under strict adherence to the catholic religion´s guidelines for acceptable conduct.
In 1745 the City of Mariana, formerly the town of Ribeirão do Carmo, was established by the Royal Order of April 23rd. The elevation of the town to city status paved the way for the foundation of the first bishopric of the Captaincy (1748). Dom Frei Manoel da Cruz was the first bishop of Mariana. At this time when it was necessary to present metropolitan "civility" to colonial society, the public celebrations that marked the establishment of the bishopric are narrated in detail in Áureo Throno Episcopal (anonymous report which Francisco Ribeiro da Silva arranged to have printed in Portugal).
As far as the political organization of the Captaincy is concerned, on 6 April, 1714, the procurators of all the towns were convoked by Dom Brás Baltasar da Silveira, the Governor at the time, and the remaining authorities, who opted for dividing the Captaincy into four comarcas (districts). The first, Vila Rica do Ouro Preto, where Vila Rica was the main town of the comarca as well as the residence of the governors and captains-general, location of the administrative headquarters, as well as of the storehouse of the royal treasury, casa da intendência, and the foundry. Vila Real de Sabará or Rio das Velhas, Rio das Mortes, and Serro Frio were the other three. All the towns had a municipal hall with two ordinary judges, three Aldermen, and a municipal procurator. The General Magistrate presided over the entire comarca. It would remain thus, until it became a province of Brazil on 28 February, 1821.
Bibliography:
ANASTASIA, Carla Maria Junho, Vassalos Rebeldes: violência coletiva nas Minas na primeira metade do século XVIII, Belo Horizonte. CALÓGERAS, João Pandiá. As minas do Brasil e sua legislação. Rio de Janeiro: Imprensa Nacional, 1904. 3vol. FURTADO, Júnia F. O Livro da Capa Verde, o Regimento Diamantino de 1771 e a vida no Distrito Diamantino no período da Real Extração. São Paulo: Annablume, 1996. PAES, Maria Paula D. C., As Minas do Rei Salomão, Teatro do Controle. Prudência e Persuasão nas Minas do Ouro, Belo Horizonte, UFMG, 2000 p. 24-76. VASCONCELOS, Diogo Pereira Ribeiro de, Breve Descrição Geográfica, Física, Política da Capitania de Minas Gerais (1804), Belo Horizonte, Fundação João Pinheiro, 1994. VASCONCELOS, Diogo Pereira Ribeiro, História Antiga de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Fundação João Pinheiro, 1999.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel
The region comprised the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais. On 9 November, 1709, a Royal Letter established the Captaincy of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, separating it from Rio de Janeiro. On 2 December 1720, Dom João V established the Captaincy of Minas Gerais, separate from São Paulo. Its first governor was Dom Lourenço de Almeida (1720 - 1732).
The inhabitants of the Captaincy of São Paulo went into the unknown sertões [backlands], clearing the scrublands, searching for Indians to capture. While at this task, they defined the geo-spatial configuration of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais. The first discoveries of gold occurred in 1693. The three octaves (unit of weight representing an eighth of an ounce) of gold presented to the Governor of the Captaincy of Espirito Santo resulted from the discoveries made during the expedition of António Rodrigo Arzão, who departing from São Paulo, traveled to this area. Arzão went to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to gather men and means. Gravelly ill, he delegated responsibility for the expedition to Bartolomeu Bueno. In 1694, Bueno´s expedition departed the town of São Paulo, following Arzão´s route as much as possible.
Twelve octaves was the amount of gold presented for the first time to the Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, António Paes de Sande. In 1700, João Lopes de Lima and Miguel Garcia were recognized as settlers of the region of Corrego do Ribeirão do Carmo, and the lands of Faiscadeiras (a place where gold was found sparkling) were divided. António Dias, Father João de Faria Fialho, and Tomás Lopes de Camargos discovered Córregos and Morros of Ouro Preto. The Faiscadeiras of Sabará were reported by Borba Gato. Other discoveries followed: Caeté, Lavras of São João, and São José of Rio das Mortes.
With news of the riches, people started to arrive in Minas, which caused clashes and disputes, such as the Emboabas´ War between the original settlers from São Paulo, the Paulistas, and the newly-arrived Portuguese settlers (emboabas). Aware of the situation in Minas, the Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Fernando Martins de Mascarenhas, traveled to the region in June of 1710. During this time, his successor, António de Albuquerque Coelho de Carvalho arrived. Albuquerque went on to Minas to put an end to the disputes.
António de Albuquerque regulated the collection of taxes (the quinto, a fifth of the fifth part). On 17 July, 1710, the representatives of the municipality of São Paulo and of the other towns met and agreed that the fifth would be paid in bateias (a type of basin utilized in mining work) or in slaves. This resolution was approved by the King in a letter dated June 24, 1711. Ten octaves of gold were paid per bateia. Dom Brás Baltasar, the following governor, convoked the municipal councils of São Paulo and, on 7 December 1713 in Vila Rica, agreed to a finta (total collection) of 30 arrobas [750 pounds] in each of the years from 1714 to 1717. From this year until 1722, the finta was lowered to 25 arrobas [625 pounds]. Between 1723 and 1724 it was raised to 37 arrobas [925 pounds].
A decree of the King, on 8 February, 1719, ordained the establishment of foundry and mint houses, where the quinto of production was taken to be sent to the metropolitan coffers. The miners opposed the establishing of foundry houses. The conflicts caused by the attempts at imposing this form of tax collection were not few: the mutiny of the people of Morro Vermelho (1715), the rebellion of Felipe dos Santos in Vila Rica (1720).
In 1725, the governor, Dom Lourenço de Almeida, established the foundry houses where the quinto was deducted until 1735. The news of misdirection of taxes, the discovery of clandestine foundry houses, served as the basis for change to a system of tax collection via capitation, which was implemented as of Gomes Freire de Andrade´s government. In the meetings of June 30 and July 1, 1735, it was agreed that each slave or free man dedicated to any trade, would pay 4.75 octaves of gold; the large stores were to pay 24 octaves, while the average and small ones were to pay 16 and 8 octaves of gold respectively; the stands run by slaves were to pay 16 octaves annually.
In an Order dated 3 December, 1750, the King required the re-establishment of foundry houses, accepting a quota of 100 arrobas [250 pounds] annually. It should be emphasized that the arrival of governor Dom Luis da Cunha Menezes (1783), the prohibitions related to manufacturing and handicrafts in the Colony, as well as the decrease in the amount of gold extracted gave rise to dissatisfaction in Minas Gerais. The impossibility of fulfilling the annual payment of 100 arrobas led Dom Luis da Cunha to set the date for the derrama (the day when all debtors should pay their metropolitan tax collection debts at any cost) which reached a climax with the dismantling of the Inconfidência Mineira [Minas Conspiracy] (1789), in which a significant number of the Captaincy´s elite was involved.
References to the discovery of diamonds in the northwest region of the captaincy can be found since the end of the 16th century. It was the discoveries at the beginning of the 18th century in the region of Serro Frio that turned Portuguese America into a great exporter of diamonds. In 1729, the governor of the Captaincy, Dom Lourenço de Almeida, sent to the Court an official notification of the discoveries and organized the development of diamond mining, as well as the collection of taxes from this activity. Between 1729 and 1734, all those who had slaves and capital could work at diamond mining, paying a capitation tax on each slave employed in the work of extraction.
Excessive availability resulted in a decrease in the value of diamonds in the world market. In 1734, a demarcation of the Diamond District was established, a quadrilateral around the market of Tejuco. All diamond exploration activities in the area were suspended with the objective of causing a drop in prices. The exploration of diamonds was reopened in 1739 under a new guise: private contracts were established, which reverted to the Crown after four years.
In order to increase control over the region as well as hinder and diminish smuggling, as of 1745, entry into the demarcated area could occur only in specific places, called Registros (each had an inspector and a military detachment). With the bankruptcy of the fourth contractor, the Crown gained monopoly of the commerce of gems, while the contractors had mining rights only. In the last decade of 1771, the system of contracts was ended by a Royal Order and the mining became the Crown´s exclusive responsibility. The Real Extracção dos Diamantes [Royal Diamond Extraction] was established, and legislation appropriate to the region was enacted, the Regimento Diamantino. By imperial decree, on 13 October, 1831, the fair of Tejuco was elevated to town. On 6 March, 1838, today´s City of Diamantina was established. On 24 September, 1845, the Real Extracção was terminated by decree, and a new administration was instituted, which started the public rental of the diamond-rich areas for a period of four years. This legislation actually went into effect only in 1853.
Minas Gerais also depended on farming and stockbreeding. Two roads assured the ongoing supply of towns, fairs, and estates. The Caminho Velho [Old Road], connected Vila Rica to Paraty Harbor; it was the official road for the outflow of gold and slaves until 1728, when it was replaced. The Caminho Novo [New Road] allowed for a connection between Vila Rica and Rio de Janeiro Harbor. In the coming and going of merchandise, the cattle herders and merchants paid right of way tolls. Strategically located stations controlling the passage of people and merchandise were generally rented to the Crown by private citizens at a cost established by contract, and collected payment for the merchandise being transported.
Initially, the population of the Captaincy was constituted by natives, who belonged to different nations and various tribes, and it was due to wanting to capture natives that adventurers penetrated the interior. In the end, their expeditions provided for the settlement of the region since along the paths they traveled, they established small villages and, later on, fairs. After, with gold and diamond mining, the influx of people into the region was intensified, with the arrival of the europeans, their descendants, and black slaves. There were many mulattos, offspring of the unions between European men and black women mainly; black individuals born in the Colony, as well as mestiços born of european fathers and American mothers, or the opposite.
It was in the Metropolis´ interest to maintain the people calm and assure the outflow of wealth to Portugal. For this purpose, a shared moral, ethical, and religious code of values was key to converting the mining society into a reflection of the metropolitan society itself. Despite all the efforts of the metropolitan authorities in Minas and of the directives that came from the Metropolis, it was not an easy task to mold the settlers to European civilizational standards and, above all, to maintain them under strict adherence to the catholic religion´s guidelines for acceptable conduct.
In 1745 the City of Mariana, formerly the town of Ribeirão do Carmo, was established by the Royal Order of April 23rd. The elevation of the town to city status paved the way for the foundation of the first bishopric of the Captaincy (1748). Dom Frei Manoel da Cruz was the first bishop of Mariana. At this time when it was necessary to present metropolitan "civility" to colonial society, the public celebrations that marked the establishment of the bishopric are narrated in detail in Áureo Throno Episcopal (anonymous report which Francisco Ribeiro da Silva arranged to have printed in Portugal).
As far as the political organization of the Captaincy is concerned, on 6 April, 1714, the procurators of all the towns were convoked by Dom Brás Baltasar da Silveira, the Governor at the time, and the remaining authorities, who opted for dividing the Captaincy into four comarcas (districts). The first, Vila Rica do Ouro Preto, where Vila Rica was the main town of the comarca as well as the residence of the governors and captains-general, location of the administrative headquarters, as well as of the storehouse of the royal treasury, casa da intendência, and the foundry. Vila Real de Sabará or Rio das Velhas, Rio das Mortes, and Serro Frio were the other three. All the towns had a municipal hall with two ordinary judges, three Aldermen, and a municipal procurator. The General Magistrate presided over the entire comarca. It would remain thus, until it became a province of Brazil on 28 February, 1821.
Bibliography:
ANASTASIA, Carla Maria Junho, Vassalos Rebeldes: violência coletiva nas Minas na primeira metade do século XVIII, Belo Horizonte. CALÓGERAS, João Pandiá. As minas do Brasil e sua legislação. Rio de Janeiro: Imprensa Nacional, 1904. 3vol. FURTADO, Júnia F. O Livro da Capa Verde, o Regimento Diamantino de 1771 e a vida no Distrito Diamantino no período da Real Extração. São Paulo: Annablume, 1996. PAES, Maria Paula D. C., As Minas do Rei Salomão, Teatro do Controle. Prudência e Persuasão nas Minas do Ouro, Belo Horizonte, UFMG, 2000 p. 24-76. VASCONCELOS, Diogo Pereira Ribeiro de, Breve Descrição Geográfica, Física, Política da Capitania de Minas Gerais (1804), Belo Horizonte, Fundação João Pinheiro, 1994. VASCONCELOS, Diogo Pereira Ribeiro, História Antiga de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Fundação João Pinheiro, 1999.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel