A Republic in the Trees
Deep in the Serra da Barriga mountain range of what is now Alagoas, Brazil, a self-sufficient republic flourished for nearly a century. Known as the Quilombo of Palmares, this settlement of escaped slaves and other outcasts was established around 1605. At its peak in the 1690s, Palmares had a population estimated between 11,000 and 20,000 people. This was not a single village, but a confederation of settlements, called mocambos, spread over an area almost the size of Portugal.
The capital city, Macaco, was a fortified settlement of around 6,000 inhabitants. The society of Palmares was a mix of African political systems, with a king who was elected by the leaders of the various mocambos. Its population was diverse, including escaped Africans but also native Brazilians, mulattos, and even some white settlers, such as soldiers fleeing forced military service. They developed a collective economy based on subsistence agriculture, growing crops like maize, beans, and manioc using both African and indigenous farming techniques. They forged tools and weapons, and conducted trade with some neighboring colonial communities.
A Century of Resistance
The existence of an autonomous state of former slaves challenged the Portuguese colonial order. For almost 100 years, Palmares repelled repeated attacks from both Portuguese and later Dutch colonial forces. Between 1680 and 1686 alone, six different Portuguese expeditions failed to conquer the quilombo. The people of Palmares, or Palmaristas, were skilled warriors who used the rugged terrain to their advantage, employing guerrilla tactics and a sophisticated defense system of palisades, hidden traps, and pits filled with spikes.
Leadership drove this long resistance. The first great king, Ganga Zumba, ruled from the capital Macaco. After a major Portuguese attack in 1677 left him wounded, Ganga Zumba accepted a peace treaty that was ultimately rejected by many of his followers. He was succeeded by his nephew, Zumbi, a skilled military strategist who had been born free in Palmares. Zumbi refused to submit to Portuguese authority while others remained enslaved, and he led the fight against the colonists for another 15 years.
The final assault came in 1694. The famed bandeirante (slave-hunter) Domingos Jorge Velho led a massive army, including indigenous allies, against the quilombo. After a 42-day siege, the capital of Macaco fell. Zumbi escaped but was betrayed, captured, and killed on November 20, 1695.