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ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Slave revolt in Camamu 1691

Synopsis
Originating from a small mocambo of runaway slaves located near the town (vila) of Camamu, in the northern part of the captaincy of Ilhéus, this revolt, led by five mulattoes, managed to mobilize a large number of slaves in the region. The rebels raided houses in the town and its surroundings, took weapons, recruited new followers, killed some men, and kidnapped women and children. They then moved three leagues away to build a new fortified quilombo, which they named Vila de Santo António, where about a hundred people settled. Upon being informed, the governor of Bahia sent munitions and gave instructions for the mobilization of the local militias, resulting in an expedition of 100 men (60 whites, 20 mulattoes, and 20 Indians) that attacked the quilombo. The rebels resisted fiercely but were ultimately defeated, with more than 80 prisoners, 25 wounded, and 4 deaths, including two of the leaders. In the aftermath, it was decided that the captured rebel slaves would be deported/sold to distant locations, while the three surviving leaders were sentenced to death, with their heads cut off and exposed on site, as often happened. The exact dates of these events are unknown. Their significance has been highlighted for two reasons: it was one of the first known quilombo revolts, and it involved both mulatto and African slaves, two ethnic groups that usually found themselves on opposing sides within the complex society of colonial Brazil.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: Unknown. Name in sources: Levantamento dos negros de Camamu. Location: Camamu Country (current): Brazil. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Africans, Enslaved, Maroons. Number of participants: 100-250. Main reasons & motivations: Freedom, Maroon resistance. Leadership: Five mulattoes. Relevance: low.

Further reading
FIGUEIREDO, Luciano (2005). Rebeliões no Brasil Colônia. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar Editor. SANTOS, Lara de Melo dos (2004). Resistência indígena e escrava em Camamu no século XVII. Salvador: Universidade Federal da Bahia (Masters dissertation). SILVA, Pedro Ivo Basílio Bandeira da (2023). Impressões rebeldes: uma análise da revolta escrava de Camamu de 1691. Recife: Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (BS thesis).
Cite this entry

Ramos, João Espadeiro (2024). "Slave revolt in Camamu 1691", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Encyclopaedia of Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. https://mappingrebellions.com/revolt/slave-revolt-in-camamu-1691/ (accessed on 12 March 2026).