Chapter 6

Palenques: Maroons and Castas in Colombia’s Caribbean Regions

Basing itself on source materials obtained at the National Historical Archive of Madrid (Archivo Histórico Nacional) and the General Archive of the Indies (Archivo General de Indias) in Seville, Spain, this article examines the social relationships that peoples of African descent held in palenques (maroon communities) located in coastal Caribbean regions of Colombia, especially those of the province of Cartagena. The period examined principally covers the end of the 16th century and all of the 17th century. The most important palenques discussed are Limón (also known as Limonar), Matudere (also called El Tabacal), La Magdalena, San Miguel Arcángel (later renamed San Basilio de Palenque), and one additional palenque located in the Usiacurí district. This study takes the point of view that slaves were historical agents and active creators of culture, in spite of the fact that they were subjected to forced manual labor. Some slaves never accepted their status and courageously fled from their owners. Living in fortified establishments known as palenques, these maroons interacted with the Indians living in nearby communities or on haciendas. Such social relationships at times led to peaceful interactions and commercial exchanges; at other times, they ended in aggression and violence. Palenques were heterogeneous communities, composed of maroons born in various parts of Africa or in the New World. Those born in a palenque came to be known as criollos de la montaña or criollos del monte (lit. ‘Creoles of the mountains’ or ‘Creoles of the hills, Creoles of the hinterland’).” The inhabitants of these palenques exhibited individual cultural and ethnic traits, as African- and American-born individuals differed from each other in significant ways.