The Brazil Gold Rush starts in the 1690's, when Bandeirantes -- Brazilian colonial scouts who take part in the the exploration and slave-raiding expeditions known as Bandeiras -- discover large gold deposits in the mountains of Minas Gerais.

Over 400,000 Portuguese and half a million African slaves will come to the gold region to mine, many abandoning the sugar plantations and towns in the Northeast Coast to go to the gold region.

By 1725, half the population of Brazil is living in Southern Brazil.