The Diamond District: administration and fiscal system, 1730-1771

Abstract

The solution found for the organization of diamond mining in Minas Gerais in the first half of the 18th century cor-responded to the installation of a specific administrative structure based in the village of Tijuco (currently town of Diaman-tina) – the Intendancy of Diamonds, with jurisdiction over the territory in which it was believed to be located diamond depo-sits. In addition, the fiscal system of the new administrative body was particularly connected with that of the Royal Exche-quer in Vila Rica (Ouro Preto), as well as with the Royal Trea-sury, in Lisbon (“Casa dos Contos do Reino”). This article analyzes this process between 1730 and 1771, with an emphasis on the more complex fiscal structure from 1740 on, which reve-als a close association between contractors’ financial transactions and revenue and expenditure flows by the Royal Treasury in Minas Gerais and Lisbon.