ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the other two categories of the folk tripartate division of people into farmers, peons, and merchants. It focuses on the two other main livelihood alternatives available in the frontier: wage labor at the cattle fazendas of northern Mato Grosso and commercial activity. Most of the fazendas are owned and operated by national and multinational corporations with headquarters in either Sao Paulo or Belo Horizonte. More permanent local residents tend to view peons as degraded human beings; although many households contain members who periodically work at the cattle fazendas, they will sometimes deny or try to minimize their connection to ranch employment. The dependence of the town commerce on cash generated by ranch employment is further underscored by what occurs during the rainy season, when ranches drastically cut back their labor forces. Most merchants in Santa Terezinha have come to realize that the boom for town commerce may be short-lived.
