Cerca do Macaco, also called "Cerca Real dos Macacos" or just "Macaco", was a historical settlement located on the peak of the Serra da Barriga in the state of

Alagoas Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It was the main settlement of the Palmares, an established group of fugitives and escaped slaves.

History

The settlement may have been founded as early as 1602, by which time Portuguese settlers were reporting that their captives were running away and building ''mocambos'', or small communities in the surrounding area. At this time, most enslaved Africans in the area were from

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

, and a report from 1671 suggests that the founders of Macaco were Angolan. '' Quilombos'' were settlements mainly of survivors and free-born enslaved African people. No contemporary document called Palmares a ''quilombo''; instead the term '' mocambo'' was used. This suggests that Macaco in the 1600s was occupied by not only escaped enslaved Africans, but also to mulattos, caboclos,

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

poor Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income< ...

whites, especially Portuguese soldiers trying to escape forced military service. Dutch descriptions by

Caspar Barlaeus Caspar Barlaeus (February 12, 1584 – January 14, 1648) was a Dutch polymath and Renaissance humanist, a theologian, poet, and historian. Life Born Caspar (Kaspar) van Baerle in Antwerp, Barlaeus' parents fled the city when it was occupied by Spa ...

(published 1647) and Johan Nieuhof (published 1682) spoke of two larger consolidated entities in the area, "Great Palmares" and "Little Palmares". In each of these units there was a large central town that was fortified and held 5,000-6,000 people. A description of the visit of Johan Blaer to one of the larger mocambos in 1645 (which had been abandoned) revealed that there were 220 buildings in the community, a church, four smithies, and a council house. This is probably similar to the layout of Macaco at that time. After 1654 the Portuguese began organizing expeditions against the mocambos of Palmares, including Macaco. During this time, Macaco was likely a town of up to 10,000 people. Macaco became the capital of the kingdom of "Angola Janga" which according to the Portuguese meant "Little Angola," although this is not a direct translation. From 1680 to 1694,

Zumbi Zumbi (1655 – November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares (), was a Brazilian quilombola leader, being one of the pioneers of resistance to Slavery in Brazil, slavery of Africans by the Portuguese Empire, Portuguese in colonial Brazi ...

ruled from Macaco as the king of Angola Janga. During this time, there was near constant war against the Portuguese. This concluded with a final assault against Macaco in January 1694, led by Domingos Jorge Velho. Though Zumbi eluded capture, he was later captured and executed on 20 November 1695. After the war, Velho and his followers were given

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s in the former territory of Angola Janga, which they occupied as a means of keeping the kingdom from being reconstituted. The land surrounding Macaco has since mainly been used to cultivate sugar cane and for cattle-farming. The town of União dos Palmares is located 7km to the east of the site of Macaco. In 1944 it was renamed from its previous name (União) to reflect its historical significance. In 1986 the site of the city was listed in the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), and in 2003 it was officially opened by the President of Brazil. The site is now protected by Parque Nacional Serra da Barriga and Parque Memorial Quilombo dos Palmares.http://www.quilombodospalmares.org.br/index.php?sec=projeto_parque_quilombo_palmares , Parque Memorial Quilombo dos Palmares

Notes

{{Reflist Colonial Brazil Slave rebellions in Brazil 17th century in Brazil Dutch Brazil Slavery in Brazil

History

See also

Notes