for this reason, ilha grande remained almost entirely uninhabited until halfway through the 18th century - the discovery of gold in minas gerais during the 18th century changed everything, along with the boom in sugar and coffee plantations in the region.

ilha grande subsequently became a hotspot for contraband trading due to its coastal location, mainly in african slaves, vital to the farming trade.

in one of brazil's darkest chapters of history lasting more than 200 years, thousands of ships and vessels carrying slaves docked on the beaches of dois rios and palmas full of african men, woman and children - the slaves were brought to the shores of brazil to work on the plantations to increase the output of coffee and sugar for minimal production costs.