ABSTRACT
The accidental discovery by Pedro Alvares Cabral, Brazil at first remained a low priority for the Portuguese, and they were initially slower than the Spaniards in settling the new lands. The Portuguese government moved to take more direct control in the mid-sixteenth century as it became increasingly concerned about Spanish and French encroachment and became more interested in the potential resources of its new colony. Brazil's society developed along lines quite different from Spanish America. Unlike most of the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish, the indigenous Tupi peoples of Brazil were mainly semi-sedentary, subsisting through hunting, fishing, gathering, and intermittent agriculture. Once Brazilians turned to the extensive enslavement of Africans, African cultural norms were woven deeply into Brazilian society, while indigenous peoples and their customs diminished or perished. Sugar production became the central industry in Brazil, huge numbers of enslaved Africans began to arrive to work not only in the plantations but also as artisans in markets and factories.
