At the time, the country was reaping huge profits from the exploitation of the pith of the Caesalpinia echinata and Caesalpinia brasiliensis trees, which contained a red dye called brazilin, used in weaving.
The labor needed was obtained from among the captured indigenous population. Sugar cane plantations brought to Brazil from Madeira and Cape Verde were also established. Indians who were unsuitable for hard physical labor died en masse, so black slaves from Africa began to be brought to Brazil.
