The history of the farm that kept slaves and spread Nazism in Brazil

The Cruzeiro do Sul farm, located 160 kilometers from the state capital, was one of the prime examples of the presence of Nazi ideology in Brazil between the 1930s and 1940s. However, the true story behind the symbols scattered around the property came to light. only in 1990 and gained even more strength from the discovery and reports of two of the survivors of that place.

The first signs came from the bricks that were revealed in one of the buildings and clearly had the impression of the Nazi swastika. To reinforce the ideal, there were also old photos (as seen above), which were found by José Ricardo Rosa Maciel - then owner of the property -, where the symbol appeared. These clues were taken to the historian Sidney Aguilar Filho, who decided to go deeper and unravel the details of this story.

Nazism and Integralist Action

Studying the case, the historian found that the Cruzeiro do Sul farm - which is near the Monte Alegre Campina in São Paulo - belonged to the Rocha Miranda family. The property was managed by his father, Renato, and his two sons, Otávio and Osvaldo, who were members of the Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB) - a political movement created in 1932 from the ideals of European facism.

And to maintain the farm's services, 50 boys (mostly orphans, blacks, and ten-year-olds) were sent from Rio de Janeiro to the interior of São Paulo. They were taken with the promise of good conditions, with room for fun and the guarantee of a better life. However, on arrival at the property, they were forced to work the land and care for animals, having the same responsibilities as adults and suffering harsh consequences if they did not live up to expectations.

Called by numbers, the children could not leave the farm, rarely received payment for their services and were constantly beaten. Such conditions caused some to flee, but some stayed on the property until it was "released." Much of what is known about the Nazi influence and slavery system used on the Cruzeiro do Sul farm was discovered from the testimony of the survivors and the documents that were later found by the historian.

Live to tell

Argemiro dos Santos, now retired, was one of the boys who fled the property and passed through several cities (and countries) before arriving in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, where he lives with his wife and children. The former farm worker served in the Navy during World War II and was also an amateur soccer player.

Aloísio Silva, 90, is one of the boys who stayed on the farm until they were released and still lives in the region, but does not like to comment on what happened. What is most striking is that even without ever having contact, the two survivors present very similar reports about the terrible conditions in which they lived on the Cruzeiro do Sul farm.

And to explain more details about this story that clearly shows us the influence that Nazism had on Brazil, the National Library's History Magazine produced the documentary you check below: