QUILOMBO DOS PALMARES MEMORIAL PARK

The quilombo de Palmares is a major landmark in post-colonial Brazil. The curious traveler passing through Salvador cannot miss the statue of the "hero" of negritude: Zumbi de Palmares, an African king enslaved in Brazil. He managed to escape with many maroons and built a city in the northwestern hinterland. From the early ^17th century onwards, the slaves who managed to escape from the fazendas (farms) and engenhos (small-scale sugarcane processing factories) began to gather in safe areas where they could roam freely, known as quilombos.

Brazil's largest and most famous quilombo, governed by Zumbi dos Palmares, was established in the Serra da Barriga, 80 km from Maceió. It brought together runaway slaves, Indians and a few outcast whites, who resisted fiercely for almost 100 years, like the Canudos rebels not far from here, before finally being wiped out by the Portuguese crown army in 1694. The story goes that Zumbi fell after being betrayed by one of his own.

Unfortunately, the remains of the quilombo are not showcased: there are no guards, no resources and you'll have to hire a vehicle. On site, guides offer to take you on a "voluntary" tour. More than a visit, it's a real immersion in the past for those who are particularly interested in this page of Brazilian history.