A população da América portuguesa em finais do período colonial (1776–1822): fontes e estimativas globais

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to gather and discuss the available evidence on the volume of the population in Portuguese America from the last quarter of the eighteenth century to the first quarter of the nineteenth century. I want to highlight the importance of questioning the population statistics known and used in studies of Brazil in the so‑called pre‑census period. While we have a number of historiographical works that dealt with these evidences, it is always necessary to go back to them, especially when archival research reveals new data sources.