Quilombo dos Palmares this is how the largest quilombo that existed in the history of the colonization of Brazil by the Portuguese. It was also the largest quilombo in all of Latin America and, at its height, concentrated the population of around 20 thousand people. It resisted the Dutch and Portuguese attacks throughout the 17th century and was eventually destroyed in 1694. It became a symbol of the struggle and resistance of slaves.
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Emergence of Quilombo dos Palmares
The Quilombo dos Palmares developed in the region of captaincy of Pernambuco, more precisely in the region where the state of alagoas. The quilombo was initially formed by a few dozen slaves who fled from Pernambuco plantations who settled in Serra da Barriga, in the forest zone of Alagoas.
The first record of the Quilombo de Palmares dates back to 1597, but there are some historians who say that the quilombo may have appeared before. Palmares became the largest quilombo in the history of slavery in Brazil and at its height had about 20 thousand inhabitants.
Why did Quilombo dos Palmares receive this name?
The name of Quilombo dos Palmares refers to the large amount of palm trees that existed in the Serra da Barriga region, where the quilombo was installed. The palm trees were very important for the quilombolas of Palmares, because they provided them with food (the palm heart) and was useful for making the roof of the huts, for example.
How was life in Quilombo dos Palmares?
First, it is important to highlight that the construction site of the Quilombo dos Palmares, as well as that of many other quilombos, followed a strategy designed to protect those who took shelter there. The quilombo was built in a mountain region, in addition to being an empty region. These factors contributed to the safety of Palmares.
The Quilombo dos Palmares was formed by a junction of mocambos. Mocambo was a small camp of runaway slaves and their junction formed a quilombo. Some of the mocambos that formed the Quilombo dos Palmares were the following:
acotirene
Dambrbanga
Zombie
aqualune
Andalachituche
Subupira
Royal Monkey Fence
Osenga
kiloange
Wanted
Among the mocambos mentioned, the most important was that of Royal Monkey Fence, which was the political center of Palmares, had around 6,000 inhabitants – the rest of the inhabitants of Palmares were spread across the other mocambos. The security of the quilombo was essential, after all, they were constantly threatened by the settlers.
The Cerca Real do Macaco mocambo had three wooden fences that were constantly monitored. The surroundings of the quilombo were full of traps and the correct way to reach the entrance to the mocambo was known only to the residents of Palmares.
The residents of Palmares called the quilombo the Angola Janga which means “little Angola”. Palmares was built entirely by African slaves and was designed to be a small African state embedded in America. Regarding Palmares, historians Lilia Schwarcz and Heloísa Starling stated that
"Palmares […] sheltered a politically organized community life: public administration, own laws, form of government, military structure and religious and cultural principles that founded and strengthened the identity collective".|1|
The quilombo maintained frequent contact with villages that existed in the region. This was a common feature of different quilombos throughout Brazilian history. Many quilombos produced items for their subsistence and used the surplus to trade with neighboring populations. The existence of Palmares also encouraged many slaves to flee, and the threat of the existence of a large quilombo posed a threat to the colonizers.
Leaders of Quilombo dos Palmares
From the first mention of Palmares (1597) until its destruction (1694), nearly 100 years passed, a period in which the quilombo resisted attacks by the Portuguese and the Dutch. The two great leaders of this quilombo were denimZumba, killed in mysterious conditions in the late 1670s, and Zombie, who led the final resistance and was killed in an ambush in 1695.
Quilombo Destruction
The Quilombo dos Palmares registered a remarkable growth during the period of Dutch invasion in the Northeast (1630-1654). This period of crisis in the colonial administration of Pernambuco favored the flight of slaves and weakened the search for escaped slaves. The growth of the quilombo, however, reinforced the colonizers' desire to destroy it.
The history of Palmares was marked by the resistance and, throughout the 17th century, the quilombolas installed there had to struggle to survive. The first expedition against Palmares was organized by the Portuguese in 1602, and such expeditions were also carried out by the Dutch, but these expeditions were defeated.
After the Dutch were expelled in 1654, the Portuguese carried out a series of other dispatches on the following dates: 1654-55, 1655, 1661, 1663, 1672, 1675, 1677, 1679, 1680, 1683 and 1692-1694. Often more than one expedition per year was organized. All of these expeditions, with the exception of the last one, were defeated.
In 1678, the leader of the quilombo, Denim Zumba he went to Recife and received a proposal to surrender. The Portuguese requested the deposition of arms from the quilombolas and offered manumission to the inhabitants born in Palmares. In addition, the inhabitants of Palmares had to withdraw from Serra da Barriga, settle in a region determined by the Portuguese and could not accept the entry of new escaped slaves.
This peace proposal divided the quilombo and then, mysteriously, Ganga Zumba was found dead. Historians believe that he was killed because of the dissidences that arose, as there was a group in Palmares – of which Zumbi was part – that did not accept a peace agreement with the Portuguese.
After Ganga Zumba's death, Zombie took the lead de Palmares, rejected the agreement and put into practice a policy of resistance and struggle against the Portuguese. Palmares resisted until the expedition of 1692-1694, when it was destroyed and its leaders persecuted and killed. Zumbi fled from the destruction of the quilombo in 1694, but it was ambush and dead, on November 20, 1695.
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Bandeirante who destroyed the Quilombo dos Palmares
The expedition that destroyed Palmares was led by the Girl Scout paulista Domingos Jorge Velho, who was at the head of numerous battles against the quilombolas, between 1692 and 1694. Domingos' expedition was made up of thousands of men, in addition to having cannons that played an important role in the destruction of the quilombo.
|1| SCHWARCZ, Lilia Moritz and STARLING, Heloísa Murgel. Brazil: A Biography. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2015, p. 101.
