Pedro Caldeira Brant, 1st Conde de Iguassú

Music

Common instruments of the era

The viola was the preferred instrument across Brazil during this period, while the piano remained a rare and expensive luxury item found only in the wealthiest households. Musicians often crafted their own instruments, including flutes, fiddles, tambourines, and scrapers like the reco-reco.

At the table

Dining on the floor

In many homes, especially outside the elite, families did not use tables; they sat on the floor around a mat, eating from bowls and gourds.

Daily life

Simple and often dark colonial homes

Houses were typically dark, simple, and constructed from rammed earth, stone, or brick, with narrow layouts that limited airflow and natural light. To repel insects, some residents mixed cow dung with the clay used for walls.

What people wore

Informal home attire for men

Brazilian men often discarded stiff outer layers at home, wearing only a cotton shirt, knee-length breeches, and clogs. Only a few elite men owned nightgowns, which were used to signal worldliness and status.

Getting around

High cost and time for transport

Transporting one arroba (about 14.7 kg) of sugar from Campinas to the port of Santos cost between 340 and 400 réis and took 12 days of travel.

What it cost

Wages and subsistence costs

In Rio de Janeiro, daily wages for laborers rose from 120 réis to 320 réis between 1765 and 1821, while in Recife, the daily cost to sustain an enslaved person was 120 réis.