Entre o gado e o engenho: economia nas fazendas São Bartholomeu e Tabúa (1797-1807)

Abstract

This monograph aims to carry out an economic analysis of two cattle and horse farms, namely the São Bartholomeu farm and the Tabúa farm, which belonged, at the time, to Assistant José Ferreira da Costa (?-1806). These properties were located in the parish of the village of Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Rio Pardo, within the jurisdiction of the town of Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso das Minas Novas do Araçuaí, in the district of Serro Frio. The privileged time frame covers the final decade of the eighteenth century and the initial decade of the nineteenth century, specifically the period from 1797 to 1807. Therefore, this study is situated in the backlands of Rio Pardo, in the captaincy of Minas Gerais, in Portuguese America. Given this, in the first stage, I analyzed the social and cultural dynamics developed in the backlands of the captaincy of Minas Gerais, investigating how this space was commonly perceived as uncivilized, in contrast to the coast and urbanized areas, during the eighteenth century. In the second stage, I turn to my specific case, seeking to reflect on the colonization and settlement of the backlands of Rio Pardo and the village that developed in its vicinity. After that, I undertook an effort to map the origins of both farms discussed here, aiming to demonstrate their relevance, as well as to analyze how economic dynamics unfolded in the backlands of Portuguese America and, finally, to ascertain the economy that prevailed on the São Bartholomeu and Tabúa farms. Furthermore, regarding the analysis of the farms’ economy, in addition to what was raised and produced, I turn to the enslaved people of Assistant José Ferreira da Costa, seeking to assess the significance of the values attributed to enslaved individuals in the assessment of his post-mortem inventory, one of the main sources consulted for this research.