"Examination of the family in 18th-century Minas Gerais is based on evidence found in the devassas episcopais. Finds that authorities' insistence on promoting church-sanctioned unions and legitimate families in the region was met with both resistance and accommodation. Concludes that the traditional (patriarchal and conservative) mineiro family emerged after 19th-century transition from mining to plantations"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.