Its extration was rudimentary, not creating town and if not fixing as exportation product. At the beginning of its settling, Brazil was divided in areas, called captainships, whose objective age to populate the territory. The donees vendiam lands the colonists, practising an essentially commercial activity. In Salvador a governor-generality was installed to manage the colony, however, the general lines of the politics was formulated in the Europe, and its application interpretation was carried through by the governors and city councils, formed for farmers, proprietors of great agricultural areas and the first devices of sugar. At the beginning of century XVI, one initiated the culture of the first really important product for the exportation and Brazilian economic growth: the sugar.
The Portuguese occupation if gave through the substance exploration tropical cousin, at a first moment with the exploration and withdrawal of wood-Brazil, later if developing the sugar economy. (FABER et al, 2008 p.2) It was initially introduced in the northeast coast, known region as Zone of Mata. Beyond excellent conditions of culture, the place also facilitated to the exit of the product for the Europe and the entrance of enslaved man power of Africa. Due to immense extension of land, the culture of the sugar if quickly expanded in the region, becoming a cultivation area, consequentemente increasing with regularity the exported volume of the product. In beginning of century XVII, Brazil became the main exporter of sugar of the world. However, exactly with cost of production 30% inferior to the one of the English plantations in the Caribbean, this activity of exportation entered in decline due to the excess of offers of the product in the international market. The culture of the product in Brazil did not disappear, only diminished. Some lands had been redirected for agriculture of subsistence, tobacco plantation, cotton, cacao and also the culture of products that fed the coastal population in expansion.