Cimarron people (Panama) facts for kids
The Cimarrons in Panama were enslaved Africans. They had escaped from their Spanish masters. They lived together as maroons, which means they were free communities of runaway slaves. In the 1570s, they joined forces with Francis Drake from England. Their goal was to fight against the Spanish. Drake wrote about the Cimarrons in 1572. He called them "a black people" who had escaped the Spanish because of their cruelty. He said they had grown into a nation with two kings.
Contents
What Does 'Cimarron' Mean?
The name Maroons likely comes from the Spanish word cimarrón. This word means "wild" or "untamed." It was often used for runaways or people who were lost. The word originally came from an old Spanish word for "thicket" (a dense group of bushes). Some people also think cimarron might come from the Taino word si'maran. This word means "the flight of an arrow."
History of the Cimarrons
Escaping slavery was common in the New World. Runaway slaves were also found in Brazil. There, they were known as palenques, cumbes, and quilombos. These groups built their own towns. These towns mixed different cultures from African, European, and Indigenous people. For example, in 1529, rebel enslaved people destroyed Santa Marta in what is now Colombia.
The Cimarrons in Panama were African slaves who escaped around the mid-1500s. When they arrived in Panama, they married local natives. They quickly learned about the land to outsmart the Spanish. About 3,000 Cimarrons lived near Nombre de Dios. Their main settlement was at Vallano (or Bayano).
Bayano, a Mandinka man, was enslaved and brought to Panama in 1552. That same year, he led a rebellion against the Spanish. He and his followers escaped. They built villages in the lowlands. The Spanish leader, Viceroy Canete, could not defeat them. So, he offered them freedom. In return, they had to promise not to let new runaways join them. They also had to return any runaways to their owners.
Many Cimarrons lived in large settlements. Others hid in the rough mountains. They often attacked Spanish towns. They even threatened to burn down Nombre de Dios. They stole treasure from the Spanish and hid it in rivers. Once, when the Spanish planned to attack them, the Cimarrons built gallows (structures for hanging people) on the main road. They threatened to hang and behead any Spanish soldiers who came.
The Spanish worried that the Cimarrons would join forces with the native people. This could lead to a big rebellion. To stop this, the Spanish made strict laws called Ordenazas para los negros. If a slave ran away and joined the Cimarrons, they would be hanged if caught. Native people were treated better than slaves. But they were also punished severely if they joined the Cimarrons.
The Cimarrons valued iron very much. They used iron to make arrowheads for hunting and for fighting the Spanish. They were also skilled at building shelters quickly. These shelters were made from palm trees. They were waterproof and could be warmed with fires that had good airflow. The Cimarrons were not just hunter-gatherers. They had large, well-protected settlements. Some had more than sixty homes.
Europe in the 1500s
In the 1550s, Spain wanted to spread the Catholic faith in Latin America. This worried the Protestant countries, especially England. England then got involved in trying to free these countries from Spanish control. John Hawkins from Plymouth, England, became one of Queen Elizabeth's first "sea dogs." These were skilled sailors who sometimes acted like privateers. Hawkins became involved in the African slave trade in Spanish America. He bought, stole, and captured slaves from the coast of Guinea. He then sold them in the Spanish Main. On one trip, he was with Sir Francis Drake. The Spanish attacked their ships, but Hawkins and Drake escaped.
Alliance with Sir Francis Drake
In 1572, Drake traveled to Nombre de Dios, Panama. He was looking for Spanish treasure. This treasure was being moved from Peru across the Isthmus of Panama. While waiting, he met the Cimarrons. There were about 3,000 of them. Drake called them "valiant Negros fled from their cruel masters the Spaniards."
The first Cimarron Drake met was named Pedro Mandiga. Pedro helped guide Drake and his men across the Chagres River to Spanish outposts. The Cimarrons knew the land well. They also disliked the Spanish. So, they were eager to help Drake find Spanish gold.
In February 1573, the Cimarrons told Drake that Spanish mule trains carrying gold were seen in Nombre de Dios. These trains were moving across the Isthmus. Drake, guided by 30 Cimarrons, set out to stop the gold. He was also with John Oxenham. They marched from dawn until late afternoon. Without the Cimarrons, who were excellent guides, Drake and his men would not have crossed the Isthmus. At one point, the Cimarrons took the English to a hill. From there, they could see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time.
During the journey, the Cimarrons carried most of the supplies. This included bows and arrows for defense against the Spanish. When they reached the ambush spot, a Cimarron spy went to the Spanish post. He found out when the treasure would pass. He reported that the Treasurer of Lima would be on the road soon. At one point, two Cimarrons kidnapped a sleeping Spanish guard. They questioned him about the treasure. He confirmed what the English knew and begged not to be killed.
When the mule train arrived, the Spanish saw a Cimarron hiding. They quickly turned the procession around. Drake and his men still ambushed the train. But they found it did not carry much valuable treasure. The Cimarrones promised Drake and the English they would remain friends and allies.
In April, Drake and his Cimarron allies met a Huguenot group. This group was led by the mapmaker Guillaume Le Testu. Le Testu brought news of the Massacre of St Bartholomew. He offered an alliance. Drake was careful, but he had few other choices. The French had more than twice his resources. They set a new ambush near Nombre de Dios. This time, it was successful. Le Testu was killed, but they took a lot of gold. They could not carry all the silver, but they took gold worth 80,000 to 100,000 pesos.
The Cimarrons did not care much about the gold or silver. They wanted iron. Drake gave them plenty of iron.
In February 1577, the Cimarrons guided John Oxenham. They raided Spanish ships from Peru. They also attacked Spanish settlements on the Pearl Islands. During this raid, they collected gold, silver, and jewels. They also freed seventy slaves, who joined the Cimarrons. They also damaged the churches.
Why This Alliance Was Important
English Reputation
This alliance showed how the English saw themselves in the New World. In other areas, like Hispaniola, native people were treated badly by Europeans. Other nations were actively involved in the slave trade. But the English were proud to think of themselves as "liberators." They allied with these Black slaves against the Spanish. This alliance seemed to suggest that the English had no racial prejudice. This was even though they were involved in the slave trade themselves.
Forming American Colonies
News of Sir Francis Drake's adventures and alliances with the Cimarrons reached England. It became clear that England wanted to become a colonial power. They aimed to control southern Brazil, the Río de la Plata, the Strait of Magellan, Patagonia, and Chile. Drake's travels inspired another "sea dog," Richard Hakluyt. He suggested setting up English naval bases in Magellan's Strait and southern Brazil. These bases would be run by pirates, convicts, and Cimarrons.
Hakluyt wanted to create a colony overseas. He imagined it would be free from harsh rule and slavery. He saw the Cimarrons as the main colonists. He believed the Cimarrons "detested the proud governance of the Spaniards." So, he thought they would gladly move to these new colonies. He believed this ideal colony would be easy to maintain without Spanish control. He thought the Cimarrons would live happily there. The Cimarrons would also help the English access the gold mines of Peru.
Hakluyt also wanted to include "condemned English men and women" who might improve their lives. Hakluyt did not say if the Cimarrons would have self-government like other colonists. But he also did not say they would be enslaved. England did not accept Hakluyt's plan for a colony. But five years later, in 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh established the Roanoke Colony.
Drake's alliance with the Cimarrons inspired the English. It encouraged them to expand and colonize other parts of the world. To the English, the Cimarrons were like a model for good citizens. They hoped their own colonists would be similar. Even though a colony run by Cimarrons never happened, the idea of a colony free of racial prejudice was something the English wanted for their own colonies.
See also
