Curitiba began as a market town through which Paraná ranchers would export their produce to the coast. But as the Brazilian government sought to encourage European immigration into the undersettled interior in the mid-to-late 19th century, it transformed into an industrial powerhouse and melting pot of peoples. German and Polish communities infused their cultures with that of the locals, joined in the 1910s by Japanese immigrants as well. Today Curitiba is one of the largest and wealthiest of all Brazilian cities, but as the world is torn asunder by the Cold War, it is increasingly a city divided against itself. Japanese Curitibans face frequent harassment, while German-owned factories fuel paranoid conspiracy theories alleging Nazi plots against Brazil. Curitibans of all backgrounds grow more suspicious of their neighbors by the day.