This selection of excerpts and essays delineates Brazilian culture as exemplified by its people. Two pieces that provide a general overview of Brazilian peoples are followed by four chronological sections, each of which is preceded by a historical sketch of the period under examination. A mosaic providing a rich and detailed picture of Brazilian culture is created by the forty-four excerpts and essays contained in this stimulating volume. Written by both contemporary experts and period observers--including naturalists, sociologists, historians, and novelists--the selections cover five centuries of Brazilian history, taking the reader from the colonial era to the 1900s.