Além da carestia e do isolamento: produção rural e redes de comércio nas minas do Cuiabá e do Mato Grosso (1716-1750)

Abstract

The historical image concerning Portuguese colonization in areas of western Brazil, such as the modern state of Mato Grosso, depicts an isolated, disconnected society lacking significant agricultural production. Only a brief, quickly exhausted, gold cycle motivated the migration of settlers to the region. This image can be found in the works of various historians including Capistrano de Abreu, Washington Luís, Caio Prado Júnior, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Nelson Werneck Sodré and Celso Furtado. In this paper we present, from the analysis of a variety of documents, an interpretation emphasizing the diversity and importance of production in rural areas and their relationship to local and inter-regional trade.