This article analyzes the godparent relationships established in an important mining region in the Portuguese America and raises new questions about the topic. The story of free men, slaves and freed slaves helps to understand how colonial society institutionalized practices in violating the ecclesiastical rule that prohibits parents as godfathers of their own children. Furthermore, the analysis reveals how the ties between compadres, godfathers and godchildren produced reciprocity and cooperation and how the sponsorship custom results in legacies and material wealth for the population of a village in the process of formation.
Colonial Brazil; slavery; family relationship; godparent relationship.