This article addresses the subject of the "conquista da terra" (the "conquest of land"), which has been undertaken since 1979 by a group of peasant farmers in the municipality of Araponga in the region of Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais. the process of land conquest referred to here is an original form of land redistribution through the communal purchase of lands and intra-group trades and loans of agricultural products. these internal group dynamics are based on common values and familial and neighborly ties. here, we analyze the "conquista da terra" as a process of (re)construction of the history of the occupation of lands in the region and as a mechanism of social (re)production engendered by the peasant farmers.
Peasantry; Access to land; Social reproduction; Social memory; Mineiran Zona da Mata