The “Destruction” of a Quilombo in the Serra do Cubatão (1827-1828)

Abstract

In the 19th century, the task of preventing the formation and growth of quilombos was identified as being under the jurisdiction of the Brazilian State. The State´s role was stated in a law issued on October 15, 1827, discussing Justices of the Peace, and later incorporated into other legal codes of Brazil’s Imperial period. At the same time that this legislative parameter was created, different provincial authorities were responsible for the law’s administration. This article reflects over the official attitudes regarding quilombos in Brazilian territory during the first decades of the 19th century, utilizing primary sources that have not yet been examined especially the correspondence related to a quilombo that was found and “destroyed” in the Serra do Cubatão, in the province of São Paulo. The paper indicates the laws and practices pertainingto these enclaves in the 1820s, also examining how the campaign to elimin\te the São Paulo quilombo was organized, the demographics of the community’s population and ways of interpreting its depiction by authorities of the period.