1561–1851: Pernambuco, being the American sugar-producing region geographically closest to Africa, was the first Brazilian territory to draw heavily from the…

1561–1851: Pernambuco, being the American sugar-producing region geographically closest to Africa, was the first Brazilian territory to draw heavily from the slave trade. The regional capital of Recife maintained a remarkably consistent commercial link with West Central Africa, which provided the vast majority of its labor force for nearly three centuries. Many of the captives landed at Recife were subsequently resold to the Amazonian frontier or to the mining and agricultural districts of the Brazilian interior. This long-standing maritime connection made Pernambuco one of the last regions in the Americas to withdraw from the transatlantic traffic.