This thesis analyzes the slave trade to the State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará throughout the first half of the eighteenth century. Slave trade to this region was triangular-based and was organized with strong support from the Portuguese Crown, which financed and provided the necessary structure, especially when epidemics of smallpox burst in the region and killed many Indians. At that time, the residents and authorities discussed the importance of the African slaves for the economic growth of the Amazon region, as it helped to overcome the severe lack of labor force in that region. This thesis also analyzes some economic activities developed in the region, such as the sugar mills and brandy stills, the factory of wood, housework and buildings, where it is possible to see the Africans sharing spaces with other social subjects: Mulattoes, Cafusoes, and mainly Indians.
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