In 1621, the Philippine dynasty created the State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão, comprising the present territories of Maranhão, Ceará, Piauí, Pará, and Amazonas, directly subordinated to the Portuguese crown. The main economic activities of this region were sugar production, tobacco cultivation, cattle raising (for the export of hides), and cocoa collecting. Most of the population lived in conditions of extreme poverty, surviving on gathering, fishing, and subsistence agriculture.
