The Quilombo dos Palmares was a nation of fugitive slaves that thrive through the entire 17th century. With a population estimated at 20,000 or more, it had a quasi-parliamentary government, egalitarian society, and a massive mountaintop citadel fortress. It was at almost constant war with the largest empires on earth. It was finally overrun in 1694. Not a single artifact remains. The book ends with a chapter that explores the myths of Palmares, the values that it enshrines for Brazilians, and how archeology relates to it all. Another chapter goes into thehistory and current situation of a quilombo in the interior of Pernambuco.