Series of 17th-century Portuguese slave-hunting expeditions into the interior of Brazil.
Bandeiras consisted of anywhere from 50 to several thousand men (known as bandeirantes ), usually from São Paulo, who were organized and controlled by wealthy entrepreneurs. The bandeirantes penetrated unmapped regions and expanded Portuguese claims to the South American interior. Along the way they built roads, established settlements, and laid the basis for ranching and agriculture in the interior while reaping large profits and inflicting untold hardship on local Indian tribes.