Paisagem agrária ao sul do Império do Brasil: pecuária, pequena agricultura e diversificação produtiva (Bagé, c.1820-1870)

Abstract

Throughout the 19th century, the main economic activities in Rio Grande do Sul were the ones related to agriculture and livestock. The province was notable for its cattle raising activities and charque (or salted beef) production, which linked the region to the Atlantic economy. For a long time, historiography insisted on this image: the society in the borderlands was characterized by the presence of large cattle ranches (estâncias) and the predominance of free labor (via peonage). In the last decades, however, several studies highlighted the existence of small and medium agricultural properties and the undeniable importance of enslaved labor as well as that production activities went beyond cattle ranching. This work focus on the latter point, with special attention to Bagé, one of the municipalities best known for its livestock specialization. Through an analysis of post mortem inventories between approximately 1820 and 1870, as well as other sources, we show that the region was specialized in cattle breeding, but also the specific ways in which ranching combined with a myriad of other activities: food farming and sheep, horse and mule raising.

Keywords: 19th century Brazil; agrarian landscape; production diversity.