Introduction: Even though anatomic variations in the cardiac circulation are quite common, there is little information concerning the Brazilian population. This study intends to describe the most common variations found during the autopsies for the AMA Study. Material and methods: fifty human cadavers had their hearts were dissected and analyzed. Results: variations occurred in 64% of all cases and were more common in the posterior circulation (40.6%); arterial hypoplasia was present in 14% of the circumflex arteries, 12% of the marginal arteries; duplication of the posterior interventricular artery occurred in 2%; muscular bridges occurred in 4%; anomalous origin of arteries occurred in 14% in total; right dominant pattern was present in 88%, left dominant in 8%, and undetermined in 4%. Conclusion: Brazilian population variations are in accordance with the literature; anatomic variations of the heart arteries are common; and there seems to be no difference among different populations.