Why did conflicts arise between Jesuits and Portuguese colonists over Indigenous labor?

Conflicts between Jesuits and Portuguese colonists in colonial Brazil arose primarily due to competing interests regarding the control and use of Indigenous people as a labor force.1

The Jesuits arrived in Brazil with a mission to convert Indigenous populations to Christianity and protect them from exploitation. To facilitate this, they settled converts in aldeias (villages), where the missionaries maintained control over the inhabitants.1

In contrast, most Portuguese colonists relied on enslaved Indigenous labor to sustain their economic activities, such as sugar plantations. The colonists deeply resented the Jesuits' influence, as the missionaries' control over the aldeias restricted the colonists' access to a valuable and necessary labor supply. This tension reverberated throughout the colony, leading both groups to appeal to the Portuguese crown for authority.12

The conflict was partially resolved by a royal decree in 1574, which granted the Jesuits full control over the Indigenous people living in their aldeias, while simultaneously allowing colonists to enslave Indigenous people captured during "legitimate warfare".1