A B S T R A C T
In Rio de Janeiro of the nineteenth century great hordes of freedmen and freedwomen africans were a common sight on the streets which deeply impressed the many foreign travelers who visited the city. A considerable number of them could be accounted for by quitandeiros. This africans who sold eggs, fruits and vegetables, carried their merchandise in great open baskets on their heads. Many of the foreign visitors state that mina woman were the most prized as street sellers.
