The “blackened city”: slaves in colonial Belém do Grão-Pará

Abstract

The city of Belém, located in northern Portuguese America, during the period 1755-1800, had as its fundamental inhabitants African and their descendants. The purpose of this article is to outline aspects of the life of the black population in the capital of the then state of Grão-Pará. Highlighting the experiences of enslaved people, not only in the world of work, but in other issues that enable us to know their presence in the city. Research sources are roughly documents from the Overseas Historical Archive (AHU), Pará Public Archive and the Visitation Book of the Holy Office of the Inquisition to the State of Grão-Pará.