engenhos
Engenhos were agricultural estates in Portuguese America, particularly in Brazil, that specialized in the production of sugar. The term encompasses both the land and the processing facilities themselves, which were powered by watermills or animal power. These estates were central to the colonial economy, transforming vast tracts of land into monoculture plantations focused on sugarcane cultivation.
The operation of an engenho was a complex process. It began with the planting and harvesting of
Engenhos were highly labor-intensive, and their development was intrinsically linked to the institution of slavery. Enslaved
The architectural layout of an engenho typically included the sugarcane fields, the mill (moenda), the boiling