Palmares Quilombo (Quilombo dos Palmares)

Timeline

1. c. 1605–1630Around the Serra da Barriga, Pernambuco interior · Serra da BarrigaSlaves fleeing northeastern sugar plantations established mocambos in the inland hills rich in palms. From around 1605 several settlements began to interconnect, forming the nucleus of the community later called Palmares, sustaining themselves through farming, gathering, and raids on plantations.
2. 1630–1654Between the Palmares hills and the coastal sugar belt · PernambucoAfter the Dutch West India Company occupied Pernambuco it continued sending expeditions against the quilombo but still failed to destroy it. Coastal warfare increased the fugitive population, and Palmares grew into a multi-fort alliance that maintained material exchange with surrounding markets, becoming an inland polity that neither the Dutch nor the Portuguese could easily digest.
3. 1654–1678Macaco main fort, Palmares · MacacoAfter Portugal reclaimed Pernambuco, repeated expeditions failed. Under Ganga Zumba Palmares formed a league system with the royal fort at its core and military heads in each mocambo, combining farming and warfare, reaching a peak in population and fortification. Around 1678 the Portuguese offered recognition of partial freedom in exchange for no longer harboring fugitives, and the peace terms caused a split within the community.
4. 1678–1695Macaco fort (Cerca do Macaco) · MacacoZumbi refused to accept the peace treaty restricting flight and led his followers in continued resistance. The Pernambuco authorities hired bandeirantes from São Paulo such as Domingos Jorge Velho, and in early 1694 they stormed the Macaco main fort. Zumbi was captured and beheaded the following year, ending the large autonomous community, though its historical status as one of the largest maroon polities in the Americas was established.