08 Mar Aqualtune, the Warrior of Palmares

When we talk about resistance in Brazil, the name Zumbi dos Palmares often comes first. His predecessor Ganga Zumba is also remembered as a leader of Palmares. Yet the history of the women who helped build and defend the quilombo is often less known.

One of these powerful women was Aqualtune, the grandmother of Zumbi and mother of Ganga Zumba.

Historical records suggest that Aqualtune was born in the Kingdom of Congo and fought as a warrior during the Battle of Mbwila in 1665 between the Kingdom of Congo and Portuguese forces. After the battle, she was captured and enslaved, then sent to Brazil through the port of Recife.

Because she was young, strong, and healthy, she was sold to a plantation in Porto Calvo (Alagoas). There she endured terrible violence, but she also heard stories about a place where Africans lived free: Angola Janga — the “Little Angola,” also known as Palmares.

Even while pregnant, Aqualtune escaped the plantation and led around 200 people to freedom in Palmares. When she arrived, she was recognized as the noble leader she had once been. With her political knowledge and strategic mind, she became a key leader in the growing quilombo.

Aqualtune founded one of the important mocambos (settlements) in Palmares, which carried her name. She later became the mother of Ganga Zumba, who unified the settlements, and the grandmother of Zumbi dos Palmares, the symbol of Black resistance in Brazil.

Although the details of her death remain uncertain, legend says Aqualtune’s spirit never left Palmares. Her physical body may have gone, but her ancestral legacy continues, guiding generations in the fight for freedom and dignity.

During Women’s Month, we honor Aqualtune, Dandara, Acotirene, and the many women whose leadership helped sustain the largest quilombo in the Americas.