The analysis of judicial documentation pertaining to the Rio das Mortes County in Minas Gerais during the XIX Century seeks to highlight the disseminated presence of violence as a culture which permeated social relations. By using the quantitative and qualitative data, the study aims at interpreting the meanings of violence and its rationale as both a legitimate form to express social values such as honor and dignity, and of maintenance of social prerrogatives in competitive contexts.
Culture; Violence; Crime