Essential oils from leaves of Xylopia frutescens (XFMJ) and two specimens of Xylopia laevigata (XLMC and XLSI) were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Sesquiterpenes dominated the essential oils. The main constituents of XFMJ were (E)-caryophyllene (24.8%), bicyclogermacrene (20.8%), germacrene D (17.0%), -elemene (7.9%), and (E)--ocimene (6.8%). XLMC contained significant quantities of germacrene D (18.9%), bicyclogermacrene (18.4%), -elemene (9.5%), -selinene (9.2%), (E)-caryophyllene (8.5%), germacrene B (5.7%) and -muurolene (5.7%), while germacrene D (27.0%), bicyclogermacrene (12.8%), (E)-caryophyllene (8.6%), -muurolene (8.6%), -cadinene (6.8%), and germacrene B (6.0%) were the main components of XLSI. The essential oils had trypanocidal activity against the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi, with IC50 values lower than 30 μg.mL-1 and 15 μg.mL-1 against epimastigote and trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi, respectively, and were also able to reduce the percentage in vitro of T. cruzi-infected macrophages and the intracellular number of amastigotes at concentrations that were non-cytotoxic to macrophages