Terra, fortuna e família : a atuação de Antonio Fialho de Vargas no mercado da terra (segunda metade do século XIX)

Abstract

The present work addresses the Antonio Fialho de Vargas’ action in the land market of the Taquari’s Valley region during the second half of the 19th century, with the purpose to understand how occurred the participation of entrepreneurs in the colonization business and how operated the land market intensified by it. Taquari’s Valley received a large contingent of immigrants and descendants from the 1850s, leading many companies to buy large pieces of land to turn them into colonial lots. Interested in the land’s market, Fialho de Vargas, from Porto Alegre, inserted in the region with the establishment of Colônia Conventos, created by Baptista Fialho & Cia., a company managed by him. It contracted European immigrants and ended the activities after eight years of operation, but Fialho de Vargas continued to participate in the land market until the end of his life. From the analysis of post-mortem inventories, notarial deeds of purchase and sale, provincial reports, judicial proceedings, parish records, among other sources, we found that land market was a lucrative business but a long-term return. For this reason, it was necessary to diversify the applications, also investing in more dynamic activities, that provided faster yields. Therefore, Antonio Fialho de Vargas optimized the profits occupying the position of councilman, possessing mills, lending money to interest and commercializing lands and woods. It was also possible to conclude that the investment made with the installation of European immigrants, although it was quite expensive, ensured the displacement of people from the old colonies to Conventos, having the migrantion families point of view in mind, which included the non-separation parental networks and friendship. This caused a demand for land that benefited Fialho de Vargas’ business.