Expats: the Promised Lands

Drawing from Johann Moritz Rugendas. Named by Portuguese settlers for the perennial palm trees that foliate the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, Palmares was a massive self-sustaining settlement of escaped slaves that survived for the entirety of the 17th century. With strong roots in Central African sociopolitical models, the society functioned like a kingdom made up of smaller consolidated entities, all overseen by a ganga zumba.