Archaeologists find fire pits, pipes, and necklace beads 50 centimeters from the ground in an old slave quarter in São Carlos, reawakening buried memory.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 05/05/2026 at 14:02

Updated on 05/05/2026 at 14:03

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Excavations carried out between 2022 and 2025 found bonfires, pipes, necklace beads, and coins on the original floor of the old slave quarters of Fazenda do Pinhal, in São Carlos, revealing buried memories of the Black population

Remains of bonfires, pipes, necklace beads, and coins were found in the slave quarters of Pinhal, in São Carlos, 50 centimeters deep, during excavations carried out between 2022 and 2025.

Findings in slave quarters — Earthen floor 50 cm deep with ceramic fragment embedded in the soil – Photo: Renato Kipnis/Scientia Consultoria Científica Collection

Findings on the original floor

The objects were on the original floor of the slave quarters of Fazenda do Pinhal. The collection helps reconstruct how the enslaved people who lived on the property occupied the building.

The excavations also point to attempts to erase this history in the post-abolition period. The building underwent renovations, interventions, and changes in use that distorted its initial function.

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Research re-places workers in the landscape

The survey is part of the Fazenda do Pinhal Heritage Management Master Plan, prepared by Paulo César Marins, professor and current director of the Museu Paulista da USP.

The farm was listed at the state level in 1981 and by Iphan in 1987. For a long time, its preservation kept the memory of the former owners more visible.

Joana D’Arc de Oliveira, professor at FAU da USP, states that the city grew up hearing about the Count of Pinhal, but little about workers, enslaved people, and Black families.

The researcher is the author of the book “From the slave quarters to where? Black men and women in post-abolition São Carlos-SP (1880/1910)” and one of the authors of the article with the results.

She coordinates the project that investigates the Black presence on the farm in the post-abolition period. The Zacarias and Silva families lived in the building and have been linked to the property for more than three generations.

The Pinhal slave quarters under layers

The first excavations in the Pinhal slave quarters revealed layers of occupation. The original earthen floor appeared below more recent levels, where there was polished cement and tiles.

These floors were linked to the recent occupations of the Silva family and European immigrants. The identification of the original floor was considered unusual because many sites suffer from sediment mixing due to vegetation, animals, and movement.

Renato Kipnis stated that the floor remained protected despite the occupations. This was one of the reasons for removing the more recent floors.

In the upper levels, a 400 réis coin, dated 1926, pen nibs, glass ampoules, and fragments of early 20th-century crockery appeared.

On the earthen floor, two coins from 1827 and about nine combustion structures were found, associated with burned sediments, charcoal, ashes, animal bones, and carbonized seeds.

Bonfires beyond food

The combustion structures are traces of bonfires. In the context of slave quarters, they indicate domestic activities, but also functioned as spaces for sociability, gathering, and the transmission of knowledge.

Bonfires were used for food preparation, heating, and lighting. Around them, conversations, storytelling, and cultural practices maintained by Black families took place in the building.

Jorgina Silva, a former resident of the old slave quarters, accompanied the excavations. She reported that her father made bonfires when it was very cold inside the house, to warm his children.

Upon learning that the enslaved population maintained this practice in the place, she was moved. The discovery broadened the understanding of the building, not only as a device of power, but as an inhabited space.

Pipes, beads, and religious memory

Other vestiges reinforce the presence of religious practices of African origin on the original floor. Two pipes and two necklace beads were exhumed, elements linked to ancestral connection, care, and protection.

In the slave-owning context, the use of pipes was common but repressed, especially among the Black population. The association between pipes and enslaved people dates back to the 17th century and became more frequent in the 19th century.

Benedito Silva recalled that his mother smoked a pipe until shortly before she died. The habit remained alive within the family.

The necklace beads expand the interpretation of the findings. Linked to religious practices of African origin, they were also associated with escaped enslaved people.

Babalorixá Isaías related the yellow bead found to the worship of Orixás and Oxum.

Terreiros, documentary, and visits

With the end of the excavations, the work continues with archaeological analysis, cataloging, and interpretation of the materials. The findings will also be taken to Candomblé and Umbanda houses in São Carlos.

The intention is to gather other interpretations of the artifacts and incorporate them into the archaeological reports. The process will include a documentary film, recorded during the excavations.

The production brings together researchers, terreiro representatives, Black movement activists, former residents, and former employees of Fazenda do Pinhal. The initiative expands the documentation on the old slave quarters.

Today, Fazenda do Pinhal hosts a Center for Studies, Research, and Education. The space receives pre-scheduled visits, courses, and workshops.

With information from Jornal.usp.

Archaeologists find fire pits, pipes, and necklace beads 50 centimeters from the ground in an old slave quarter in São Carlos, reawakening buried memory.