Brazil at the Dawn of the Eighteenth Century

Chapter I: The Great Expanses of Land for Pastures in Brazil, Filled with Cattle

197 chapter i y The Great Expanses of Land for Pastures in Brazil, Filled with Cattle The interior of Bahia extends along the coast to the mouth of the São Francisco River some 80 legoas. Continuing to the mouth of the next river north, which is called Agua Grande, is some 115 legoas from Bahia. From Bahia to Centoce it is 130 legoas; to Rodelas in the interior, it is 80 legoas; to Jacobinas it is 90 legoas; and to Tocano it is 50.1 Because the cattle ranches and corrals are located where there are open spaces and constant sources of water from rivers and lakes, those in Bahia are located along the edges of the São Francisco River, the Rio das Velhas, the Verde River, the Paramirim River, the Jacuípe River, the Ipojuca River, the Inhambupe River, the Itapicuru River, the Real River, the Vaza-Barris River, the Sergipe River, and other rivers. According to information from various people who move around this area, next to these rivers there are currently more than 500 cattle ranches. Just on this side of the São Francisco River there are 106. On the other side, part of Pernambuco, it is certain there are many more. Not just from all these areas and rivers listed do the herds of livestock come to the city and Bay of Bahia and to the sugar mills. They also come from the Iguaçu River, the Carainhém River, the Corrente River, the Guaraíra River, and the Piauí Grande River, since they are closer; the road comes directly to Bahia, rather than the indirect route to Pernambuco. So it is obvious that there are many cattle ranches in Bahia; however, there are many more in Pernambuco. The countryside extends 80 legoas along the coast from Olinda to the São Francisco River. Continuing from the edge of the São Francisco River to the Iguaçu River, it is some 200 legoas. From Olinda heading west to Piauí, the parish of Our Lady of Victory, it is 160 legoas. Heading north from Olinda, to Ceará-Mirim, Map of the rivers mentioned in the cattle section. Planche VIII from André João Antonil, Cultura e Opulência do Brasil por suas drogas e minas, translated and edited by Andrée Mansuy-Diniz Silva, Paris, Institute des Hautes Études de l’Amérique Latine, 1965. 199 The Great Expanses of Land for Pastures it is 80 legoas. From there to Açu it is 35 legoas, and to Ceará Grande it is 80. For all these, they are all almost 200 legoas from Olinda. The rivers of Pernambuco have suitable pastures next to them filled with livestock. (This excludes the Preto River, the Guaraíra River, the Iguaçu River, the Corrente River, the Guariguaê River, the Alegre Lagoon, and the north side of the São Francisco River.) Rivers with livestock next to them include the Cabaços, São Miguel, and the two Alagoas with the river of the port of Calvo, the Rivers Paraíba, Cariris, Açu, Apodi Jaguaribe, Piranhas, Pajeú, Jacaré, Canindé, Parnaíba, Pedras , Camarões, and Piauí. The cattle ranches in this area must be more than eight hundred, and from all of these come herds for Recife and Olinda and nearby towns. They work in the sugar mills from the São Francisco River to the Grande River, excluding those mentioned above, from Piauí to the banks of the Iguaçu River, and from Parnaguá and the River Preto, because the herds from these rivers almost all come to Bahia. They do this because there is a better road by way of Jacobinas, where they will pass and rest. Others who sometimes come from places even more distant stop there and rest. When they are on the trail and find good pastures, because the rains have come, the herds will arrive in Bahia in less than three months from the most distant ranches. However, if drought forces them to stay in Jacobinas with the cattle, they sell those they brought there. They then rest there six, seven, or eight months, until they come to the city. On the River Iguaçu alone today there are more than 30,000 head of cattle. In Bahia the number is certainly over half a million, and in Pernambuco there must be 800,000. Bahia receives more...