Quilombo facts for kids
A quilombo (pronounced: kee-LOM-boo) was a special kind of settlement in Brazil. It was founded by people of African origin, especially those who had escaped slavery. These people are called quilombolas. Sometimes, other groups, like the Carabali, also lived there.
Smaller settlements for escaped enslaved people were often called mocambos. The word mocambo means "war camp" in the Ambundu language. The term quilombo became more common later, around the 1670s.
In Spanish-speaking parts of Latin America, similar villages were known as palenques. The people living there were called palenqueros. They sometimes spoke unique languages that mixed Spanish with African words.
Quilombos were a major way enslaved Africans resisted slavery. They also tried to take control or start rebellions on plantations to improve their lives. Most quilombos existed before the 1800s. In the early 1800s, enslaved people often used armed resistance. This was a time of big changes in Brazil, as it fought for independence from Portugal. Many new enslaved Africans arrived, and they strongly resisted being enslaved.
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Slavery in Brazil
Slavery was legal in Brazil for about 300 years. The first enslaved Africans arrived 52 years after the Portuguese came to Brazil in 1500. The demand for enslaved Africans grew throughout the 1700s. This happened even after Brazil's sugar economy became less important. Other crops, like tobacco, then became more popular.
During the sugar boom (from 1570 to 1670), conditions on sugar plantations were terrible. Enslaved people faced hard physical work, especially during harvest time. They had to meet almost impossible daily goals. They also suffered from not enough rest or food. For plantation owners, it was often cheaper to work enslaved people to death and buy new ones. Conditions were so bad that the government even stepped in twice. They forced owners to give enslaved people enough food.
How Quilombos Started
Quilombos were formed by enslaved Africans who ran away from plantations. Some slave owners saw the first escape attempt as part of "breaking in" new enslaved people. They would punish this first attempt very harshly. This was meant to stop others from trying to escape. If someone tried to escape a second time, they were sent to a slave prison. If they tried a third time, they were sold. Enslaved people caught running away also had to wear an iron collar around their necks.
Not all who ran away formed these settlements. Escaping slavery depended on having the chance. Settlements often formed in areas with many enslaved people. For example, in Pernambuco, many mocambos joined together. This formed the famous quilombo known as Palmares. While many quilombos were in rural areas, some were even inside cities. An example is the pt:Quilombo do Leblon in Rio de Janeiro.
Many people believe the word quilombo connects these settlements to the culture of West Central Africa. Most enslaved people were forcibly brought from this region to Brazil. In Angola, a group called the Imbangala had a system called a kilombo. This united different tribes into a community for military defense.
Many quilombos were close to Portuguese plantations. To stay free, they defended themselves against slave catchers called capitães do mato. They also helped more enslaved people escape. Because of this, they were often attacked. First, by the Dutch, then by Portuguese colonial rulers, and later by the Brazilian government and slave owners.
Even when some quilombos cooperated with Portuguese settlements, they were usually destroyed. Seven out of 10 major quilombos in colonial Brazil were gone within two years. Some mocambos that were farther away from Portuguese settlements survived. Some of these still exist as towns today. Their residents sometimes speak Portuguese Creole languages.
Famous Quilombos
Many quilombo communities existed throughout Brazil's history.
Of the 10 largest quilombos in colonial Brazil, seven were destroyed quickly. Four in Bahia fell in 1632, 1636, 1646, and 1796. Three others were destroyed in Rio in 1650, Parahyba in 1731, and Piumhy in 1758.
One quilombo in Minas Gerais lasted from 1712 to 1719. Another, called "Carlota" in Mato Grosso, survived for 25 years (1770-1795) before being destroyed.
Many smaller quilombos or mocambos also existed. The first reported quilombo was in Bahia in 1575. Another in Bahia was reported in the early 1600s. A small quilombo thrived near Sao Paulo between 1737 and 1787.
Mocambos were also reported in many places in the Bahia region. These included Jaguaripe (1591), Rio Vermelho (1629), Itapicuru (1636), Rio Real (1640), Cairu (1663), Camamu (1723), Santo Amaro (1741), Itapao (1763), and Cachoeira (1797).
The Buraco de Tatu mocambo lasted for 20 years (1743-1763). It was located between Salvador and Itapoa. It was eventually destroyed by a force led by Joaquim da Costa Cardozo.
The Campo Grande and Sao Francisco regions often had quilombos. In 1741, Jean Ferreira led an attack against a quilombo, but many escaped. In 1746, another attack captured 120 members. In 1752, an attack led by Pere Marcos was met with strong resistance from quilombo fighters.
Quilombos continued to form in the 1800s. In 1810, a quilombo was found in Linhares, Sao Paulo. Ten years later, another was found in Minas. In 1828, a quilombo was found at Cahuca, near Recife. A year later, an attack was launched against one at Corcovado, near Rio. In 1855, the Maravilha quilombo in Amazonia was destroyed.
Palmares: The Most Famous Quilombo
The most famous quilombo was Palmares. It was an independent community near Recife, started around 1600. Palmares was huge, with several settlements and over 30,000 people. Most of its citizens were Black. It managed to survive for almost a century.
Palmares was so large partly because of its location. It was between the Atlantic Ocean and Guinea, a key area for the African slave trade. Quilombo dos Palmares was a self-sufficient community of escaped enslaved people. It was "a region perhaps the size of Portugal" in the inner lands of Bahia.
In 1612, the Portuguese tried to take Palmares, but failed. The expedition was very costly.
In 1640, a Dutch scouting team found Palmares had two main settlements. About 6,000 people lived in one, and 5,000 in the other. Dutch attacks against Palmares in the 1640s also failed.
At its peak, Palmares had over 30,000 people. In the 1670s, when the Portuguese tried to take half of Palmares, that half alone had an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people.
Palmares thrived during the peaceful years after the 1640s.
Between 1672 and 1694, Palmares faced a Portuguese attack almost every year.
Ganga Zumba and Zumbi were two well-known warrior leaders of Palmares. After many conflicts with both Dutch and Portuguese colonial rulers, Palmares finally fell to a Portuguese attack in 1694.
The warriors of Palmares were experts in capoeira. This is a dance and martial art form. Portuguese soldiers sometimes said it took more than one soldier to capture a quilombo warrior. This was because they fought with a strange, moving technique (capoeira). The governor of that province even said, "it is harder to defeat a quilombo than the Dutch invaders."
In Brazil, both Ganga Zumba and Zumbi are now honored as heroes. They are symbols of Black pride, freedom, and democracy. Zumbi's birthday is not known, but his execution date, November 20, is celebrated as "Black Awareness Day". This day is observed in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Zumbi's image has appeared on postage stamps, banknotes, and coins.
Mola Quilombo
The Mola quilombo had about 300 formerly enslaved people. It was very well organized politically, socially, and militarily. Felipa Maria Aranha was the first leader of this community. Later, Maria Luiza Piriá also led the group. It was set up like a republic, with democratic voting. Over time, the Mola quilombo grew to include four other similar settlements nearby. This larger group was known as the Confederação do Itapocu. Traces of the settlement could still be seen in 1895, but by 2020, they had disappeared.
Curiaú Quilombo
In 1992, the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area was created. This was for the people of Curiaú de Dentro, Curiaú de Fora, Casa Grande, Curralinho, and Mocambo. The area is near the capital city of Macapá and covers about 21,676 hectares. By 1999, about 1,500 people lived in this protected area.
Cunani Quilombo
Cunani is known as the capital of the unrecognised Republic of Independent Guiana. However, it has also been named a Quilombo settlement. This means it has its own territory, similar to indigenous territories in Brazil.
Quilombos in Film
A 1984 film called Quilombo tells the story of Palmares. Directed by Carlos Diegues, Quilombo is a historical movie. It shows the lives of Ganga Zumba and Zumbi.
Quilombos Today
Article 68 of Brazil's 1988 Constitution of Brazil gave the remaining quilombos special rights. It granted them collective ownership of the lands they had lived on since colonial times. As of 2016, 294 villages had asked to be recognized as quilombos. This is because they were founded by escaped enslaved people and are mainly home to their descendants. The process of getting this recognition has been slow. So far, 152 villages have been officially recognized as quilombos.
See also
- Garifuna people
- San Basilio de Palenque
- Slave revolts in Brazil
- Slave states and free states
- Suscia
- Zambo
- In Spanish: Quilombo para niños
