ILLEGAL TRADE OF AFRICAN PEOPLE WITHIN BRAZIL IN19TH CENTURY: THE “PATACHO” HERMINIA (PARAÍBA - 1850)

Abstract

Studies on the African slave trade to Brazil have brought important information about the organization of this activity. The operation from Africa, running through the slave ships, and the Atlantic voyage until the arrival of the enslaved in Brazil as well as their sale routes have been the main concerns. The focus is mainly on the most representative ports of Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. However, we need to deepen the studies on how this market occurred to other provinces. From the study of the apprehension of the “patacho” Herminia, in the city of Parahyba do Norte in 1850, we will shed light on some aspects of the trade of Africans within the 19th Brazilian Empire. Therefore, we will notice some of the strategies used by the traffickers in the distribution of illegal captives in regions that did not demand large African labor.

Keywords:
Internal trade; Illegal Africans; Paraíba; 19th century