Germanic towns in southern Brazil: ethnicity and change.

German immigrants who began settling in Brazil's southernmost states in the 1820s brought distinctive characteristics to their new country. Although some adopted the Brazilian way of life, most continued to hold on to their German identity and to Old World traditions.

German immigrants who came to Brazil in the nineteenth century founded towns that still stand out from those around them. Municipal services are often better organized, streets cleaner, buildings in better repair, and the inhabitants somewhat better educated. Most of the Germanic settlements lie in Rio Grande do Su