Ímpius fetus: the social and economic mobility of illegitimate people in Arraial do Tejuco in the 18th century.
Illegitimate. Old Catholic Regime. Social mobility. Arraial do Tejuco.
It is proposed in this investigation to analyze the sociability strategies of those considered illegitimate children, that is, those coming from relationships not recognized by the Church, in the time frame of the 18th century. It must be considered, however, that the Catholic societies of the Old Regime, shaped by the fear of God, had something strongly relevant in religious conduct. Therefore, the context was governed by several canonical laws that influenced the social dynamics of the peoples of Portuguese America. From there, focusing on Arraial do Tejuco, today Diamantina-MG, we will try to interpret how the so-called natural children led their lives in this dogmatic space. The previous finding of a significant number of children with incognito parents, observed in baptismal records located at the Archdiocesan Curia of Diamantina, reveals that they were a significant demographic group. In this way, one of the objectives of the work is to observe how these agents built reciprocity ties in the search for social inclusion and economic mobility in this highly stratified and hierarchical society.