Abstract
Newborns abandoned by their parents in the streets of Portuguese localities were raised with funds regulated by Portuguese law - the Manueline Ordinances (Ordenações Manuelinas, 1512). This was often a controversial subject because it was a costly initiative that depended on the municipal treasury and, in the long run, the local community, through taxes (fintas ) levied by the regulations. When it became a legal obligation, once put into practice, the councils were in charge of taking care of all of the area's expostos. This paper analyzes the cases of Mariana and Vila Rica, Minas Gerais, and Recife, Pernambuco, where funding for foundlings' foster care was regulated. However, this type of charity, typical of Catholic regions in the West, would undergo innovations in light of the presence of mixed-race populations in Portuguese America. In the three examples studied, the authorities proposed restricting those assisted on the basis of ethnic criteria, thereby establishing new boundaries for concepts of charity, poverty and assistance.
Keywords
foundlings; charity; poverty