16th century – 20th century
Zambezi Valley, Mozambique
The prazos da coroa were Portuguese crown estates located primarily in the Zambezi Valley. Their owners, known as prazeiros, progressively became Africanized, and the prazo system shaped political and social organization in the region.
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The Story
The prazos da coroa were Portuguese crown estates located primarily in the Zambezi Valley. They formed an institutional basis for the organization of land, authority, and extraction in a region where Portuguese power operated through estates rather than through a uniformly administered colonial territory.
The owners of these estates were known as prazeiros. Over time, the prazeiros progressively became Africanized, indicating that the social composition of the estate-holding class changed through sustained interaction with African societies.
The prazo system also provides the setting for the early history of the Chikunda, who were originally warrior slaves on the Zambezi prazos and associated conquest states. It therefore connected landholding, military service, and changing political identities in the Zambezi Valley.
16th century – 20th century
Zambezi Valley, Mozambique
The prazos da coroa were Portuguese crown estates located primarily in the Zambezi Valley. Their owners, known as prazeiros, progressively became Africanized, and the prazo system shaped political and social organization in the region.
Continue exploring
The Story
The prazos da coroa were Portuguese crown estates located primarily in the Zambezi Valley. They formed an institutional basis for the organization of land, authority, and extraction in a region where Portuguese power operated through estates rather than through a uniformly administered colonial territory.
The owners of these estates were known as prazeiros. Over time, the prazeiros progressively became Africanized, indicating that the social composition of the estate-holding class changed through sustained interaction with African societies.
The prazo system also provides the setting for the early history of the Chikunda, who were originally warrior slaves on the Zambezi prazos and associated conquest states. It therefore connected landholding, military service, and changing political identities in the Zambezi Valley.
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