OriginsLocated in the Northern parts of Brazil, Quilombos for freed or runaway slaves grew in size, power and popularity in the 16th century. The most comminy of Quilombos of all were the Palmares Quilombos, situated on the of North-eastern coast of Brazil. The Palmares Quilombos were in the captaincy of Pernambuco, in what is today the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Palmares was established in the year 1605 and hosted tens of thousands of African slaves and Native Americans until its suppression in 1694. Between 1680 and 1686, six Portuguese expeditions attempted to conquer Palmares and failed. Finally the governor of Pernambuco engaged an army of bandeirantes under the command of Domingos Jorge Velho, who defeated a palmarista force led by a nephew of the last of Palmares’ five rulers, on Feb. 6, 1694, putting an end to the republic.
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Zumbi, 1655-1695During its reign, the grand Palmares Quilombo was not only a place of refuge from the cruel Portugues Engenho owners, but was a working, complex community. The success of Palmares during its “golden age” (mid to late 16th century), all began with its leader, Zumbi. Despite the fact that Zumbi was not crowned King of Palmares till 1687, he was an important figure in the military of the Palmares Quilombo since from 1675 till 1694. Zumbi became the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom's forces in 1675, he was a skilled warrior and an intelligent strategist. Zumbi instituted a hatred for the Portuguese and crafted skillful military strategies to fend off their many attacks.
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Golden Age Due to the military success during the “golden age” of Palmares, the Quilombos were able to amass 10,000 acres of land, with approximately 30,000 Africans and Natives living within the Quilombos. There was also a large Capital city - Macara. Within the walls of the city, there were many complex and sophisticated buildings such as; a Church, public buildings, a capital building; many narrow passages to escape the city through escape incase of an enemy attack.
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