Draft version for this Conference use only. Do not quote without author’s permission. Amazonian cacao: land grants, the hinterland and labour force in the Portuguese empire (17th and 18th centuries) Rafael Chambouleyron (Universidade Federal do Pará) (rchambouleyron@gmail.com) _____________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: This paper discusses the role Indian enslavement and coercive labour played in the development of cacao industry in the Portuguese Amazon region. Gathered cacao in the hinterland and cultivated fruits in the agricultural frontier of the region became the major product exploited by settlers during the late 17th and the 18th centuries. Through the exploitation of Indian labour, cacao became the link between the hinterland, the coastal agricultural areas and the overseas market, in Lisbon. Indian enslavement in the hinterland of the Amazon region thus had an Atlantic dimension, which the paper aims to explain. _____________________________________________________________________________