ABSTRACT
The late economic integration of the southern region of Portuguese America to the rest of the colony, when compared to other regions such as the Northeast, meant that the process of transition from the use of indigenous to African and Afro-descendant labor in this region was consolidated only in the second half of the 18th century. During the early 1700s, indigenous people were still the majority in forced labor, accompanied by a few slaves of African origin. As the years progressed, the Indians and their descendants became more distant from the status of slaves, a role that then came to be mainly occupied by Africans and Afro-descendants. What is proposed in this article is, on the one hand, the analysis of the distances and social differences that exist between blacks and indigenous people and, on the other, the interdependent relations maintained between the two groups. The analysis will be made from judicial sources referring to the Comarca de Paranaguá, belonging to the Capitania de São Paulo, during the 18th century.
Keywords:
indigenous; blacks; administration; slavery; Comarca de Paranaguá