Travel Guide Muxima

Muxima means "heart" in kimbundu. The name that the village owes to its position in the heart of the province and on the edge of the river. The village, located on the left bank of Rio Kwanza, was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589. The fortress and church were built ten years later, in 1599.The fortress sheltered the first prison of this period of the Portuguese occupation. It has also served as a basis for the penetration of Portuguese forces into the interior of the country while ensuring a defensive position in the event of resistance by the Angolan population or aggression by other colonial powers. The boats went up the river to search for slaves. The fortress and its buildings guaranteed trade relations, the trading of ivory and the slave trade.Muxima, under the aegis of its fortress, represented an important crossroads in the movement of slaves, which were embedded in the port, destined for America. The church of Muxima played a major role in this traffic, since it was here that slaves would be lured into it before they were deported. This church was burnt down in 1641 by the Dutch and rebuilt once the Portuguese had been re-established by the Portuguese.