March 21, 1645

Abstract

Chapter 1, “March 21, 1645,” narrates the history of Palmares during the seventeenth century by way of a unique entry point: the murder of an unnamed Palmarista woman by a Dutch bugler. Using this unconventional starting point, the chapter provides a basic history of Palmares for readers while also questioning standard timelines and chronologies. Exploring a fascinating map and illustration made by a Dutch cartographer, the chapter casts attention on a previously unknown place, Tapera d'Angola; its name is a mashup of languages from Europe, America, and Africa that means “abandoned Angola” or “ruins of Angola.” Demonstrating how ruins and abandonment may also give rise to new life, the chapter uses this example to further complicate standard accounts, now adding a spatial element to match the temporal disruption suggested by March 21, 1645.