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From colonial to modern times, Brazilian agricultural property has remained immersed in a chaotic vortex of deregulation. Attempts of institutional reform - such as the Lei de Terras (Land Law) of 1850 - have been largely unsuccessful, whilst providing legal grounds for land grab by large estates and narrowing the scope of possibilities open for legitimate reevaluations of the first institutional landmark on land use and ownership in the country - the sesmarias. Understanding that the solution to the dilemmas still present in modern-day Brazil might rest on the study of the specifics of Brazilian history, we aim, in this paper, to present a panoramic view of the turning points of land regulation in the country, so as to better understand the possibilities left for reform in guaranteeing egalitarian and democratic land ownership rights. On this intent, we present a brief overview of Brazilian agricultural history, with an emphasis on the political and economic legacy left by past institutional settings to modern-day Brazil when it comes to the chaotic situation of overlapping ownership deeds.
