During our visit to Brazil’s National Museum, we learned two especially interesting facts. Beginning in 1549 Brazil was a Portuguese colony like others in North and South America. It was used for the products (sugar cane and gold) that could be sent back to enrich Portugal. Things changed in 1808, the Portuguese court, fleeing from Napoleon’s invasion of Portugal established themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro. From there the Portuguese king ruled his huge empire for 15 years, and when the King returned to Portugal, his elder son, Pedro, stayed in his stead as regent of Brazil. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it, it would be like the British royal family ruling from the United States.

One fact that has shaped Brazil is that about sixty percent of African slaves were sent to Brazil making it the largest importer of slaves in the Americas. The city of…