Destruction of Palmares and Death of Zumbi

Timeline

1. 1694Macaco quilombo · Serra da BarrigaThe governor hired the Bandeirante Velho, famed for campaigns against indigenous peoples, while Vieira de Melo led Pernambuco troops and indigenous auxiliaries in a coordinated assault, using artillery against the fortified Macaco. On 6 February the core quilombo fell; some defenders killed themselves to avoid re-enslavement. Zumbi escaped wounded, and Palmares as a center of power ceased to exist.
2. 1694–1695From Serra da Barriga to the Dois Irmãos area · AlagoasZumbi continued organizing raids in the mountains. The Portuguese granted land in former Palmares territory to Velho's men to settle and prevent the community's rebuilding, while offering a bounty for his capture. According to later accounts, a captive revealed his hiding place, allowing colonial forces to encircle him.
3. 1695Recife · RecifeOn 20 November Zumbi was killed and beheaded by colonial forces. The authorities displayed his head in the port city to prove he was not immortal and to quash legends of his return. With the armed center destroyed, Palmares no longer existed as a unified polity, though scattered maroon settlements persisted in the northeastern interior.