Palmares, Brazil

With a population of around 11,000, Palmares was by far the largest community of escaped slaves in Brazil's history. While it offered a haven from the brutality of colonial rule, life there was far from idyllic. Inhabitants had to contend with constant threat of attack from Portuguese forces, who launched six failed expeditions to crush the settlement between 1680 and 1686. The quilombo's government, though confederate in nature, was also burdened by bureaucracy, with an elected chief overseeing land allocation and official appointments. For those seeking an escape from slavery, Palmares provided a tantalizing glimpse of freedom, but the hard realities of frontier living and military conflict were never far away.