Chico‘s life had just started. He started work at nine years old. Instead of learning his ABC, Chico learnt how to extract latex from a rubber tree. Schools were forbidden in the rubber estate, in the Amazon until 1970. It was better for production for children to work rather than go to school.

For many years the great majority of them could neither read or write. Rubber Tappers worked all of the year in hope to finally make a good profit, But found that they were just always in debt. They could not count so they did not know if they were being cheated or not.

In 1962 someone knew passed by Chico’s house.

He was a Rubber Tapper, but he spoke and looked differently from the rest. He came on a day when they were they were busy curing the Latex. He chatted and the way he spoke intrigued Chico. He brought newspapers and chico didn’t know what it was