ABSTRACT
Traditionally the family has been viewed as the nexus of a constellation of social institutions which together comprised Luso-Brazilian society. This chapter talks about Vila Rica, the capital of colonial Brazil’s goldmining region, as a case study. Three major contentions will be advanced. First, the patriarchal, extended family, so often viewed as the predominant colonial family type, existed for only a handful of people. Second, in preindustrial Vila Rica a wide range of family types existed, with nuclear and matrifocal families predominating. Third, marriage was not a means of integrating the society but served instead to differentiate segments of the population. The family structure in the region of Vila Rica during the late colonial period is more complex and diverse than that usually portrayed for Brazil. The traditional patriarchal, extended family, based on co-residential patterns, is found in relatively few housefuls.
