Question

How did life change for the indigenous people after the arrival of the Portuguese?

Answer 1

The lives of the indigenous people of Brazil, the region of the Americas where the Portuguese landed, changed radically after this event.

Explanation:

For one, the vast majority of them perished (around 90%) due to the spread of contagious Eurasian diseases like measles or viruela, for which they did not have immunity.

The few who survived were subjected to slavery at first, and when the Catholic Church prohibited the enslavement of Native Americans, to serfdom, and brutal working conditions.

They were also stripped of their lands and property, and were given very few opportunities to climb up the social ladder in the colonial Brazilian society.