The bandeirantes

the long version

A treatment of Brazil's westward expansion, and of the men who were the "pathfinders" of the great southern republic, translated from Portuguese original writings. Unlike the North American pioneer, however, the bandeirante was usually at least part Indian, and this, along with the influence of the missionary padres, resulted in a different "West" for Brazil, - a vast area even today largely untouched by modern civilization. The bandeirante expeditions did not come from the European settled coastal areas but usually developed from the inland plateau country.