Brazil Gold Rush

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The Brazil Gold Rush started in the 1690's, when Bandeirantes discovered large gold deposits in the mountains of Minas Gerais. The Bandeirantes were adventurers that organized themselves into small groups to explore the Interior. Many Bandeirantes were of mixed Indian and European background who adopted the Indian ways, which permitted them to survive in the interior rain forest.

Over 400,000 Portuguese and half a million African slaves came to gold region to mine. Lots of people abandoned the sugar plantations and towns in the Northeast Coast to go to the gold region. By 1725, half the population of Brazil was living in Southern Brazil.

While the Bandeirantes searched for Indian captives, they also searched for gold and mineral wealth, which is how the gold rush started.

The gold rush also wiped out a tribe of people: the South American Indians