Although frequently overlooked as a piece of political thought, the Diretório is one of the most innovative texts about the government of colonial populations produced by the Portuguese monarchy. During the early stages of Portuguese colonization, although theoretically free, the Amerindians subdued by the Portuguese were often categorized as ‘miserabiles personae’, i.e. persons unable to govern themselves and therefore treated as minors. As a result, many were placed under the tutelage of Catholic missionaries and forced to live in mission villages.