The colonial history of Brazil established the framework for the system of racial hierarchy present in the nation today. Colonial ties to Portugal provided the opportunity for European racial ideals to enter Brazil and establish Eurocentric racial projects. One of the most impactful social influences established by Portugal was the incorporation of Brazil into the African slave trade. This industry was extensive, leading Brazil to be considered one of the two largest slaveholding nations in the Americas with records showing that Brazil imported ten times as many slaves as America, and estimates holding that approximately 3.6 million Africans were brought to Brazil during the three and a half centuries of Portuguese rule. Not only did these circumstances lead to the circulation of racial ideology, but they also constructed a unique racial distribution within Brazil.