National holiday: Dia do Tiradentes

Hi all,

Yesterday was a national holiday here in Brazil, Dia do Tiradentes, literally, “Day of the Toothpuller”.

The history of Brazil, like that of the US, is populated with some interesting folks, and Joaquin Jose Da Silva Xavier was one of these. His beginnings were humble. He was born in 1746 in the state of Minas Gerais (lit.,”General Mines”, a state rich in gems and gold). “Tiradentes”, as he would later become known, was the son of a farmer, but was orphaned at 11 and adopted by his godfather.

Tiradentes was either a Renaissance man or led a checkered life, depending on your view. Although he received little formal education, he was at various times in his life a cattle driver, peddler/merchant, physician, low-level civil servant, and dentist – hence his appellation.

In Tiradentes’ time, Brazil was still a colony of Portugal, which sought to extract as much wealth as it could from its vast New World colony. The Crown levied substantial taxes, and gold mined in the state of Minas Gerais was transported to Rio de Janeiro or the small port of Paraty for export back to Lisbon.

Recall that the late 1700s were the epoch of great political unrest and change. The 13 British colonies declared their independence in 1776. There was extreme popular unrest in France at this time, which would culminate in the French Revolution in 1789.

In 1788, Tiradentes met José Alvares Maciel, son of a colonial governor in Brazil, who had recently returned from a visit to England. They discussed the treatment of Brazil and its poverty. These discussions led to the formation of a small group which called themselves the Inconfidência Mineira.

The plan of this group was to call for a popular uprising on the day on which the governor of Minas Gerais was to collect taxes for the Crown. However, one of the Inconfidência Mineira, Joaquim Silveiro dos Reis, betrayed the group. Tiradentes escaped, but was later captured in Rio when he contacted dos Reis, unaware that dos Reis was the traitor in the cabal.

The trial lasted more than 2 years. Tiradentes is purported to have eloquently depended the cause of independence but inevitably was found guilty. He was hanged, then quartered. Pieces of his body were displayed along the road which served as the conduit of gold from the mines to Rio, as a deterrent to other would-be revolutionaries. It would be another 30 years before Brazil would earn her independence.

Today, the city near which this leader of Brazilian independence was born, São José, is known as Tiradentes in his honor.

 

Photos in this post are from http://iaracaju.infonet.com.br/users/stocker/tiradentes.htm.

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