"San Basilio de Palenque": The first liberated territory in America

In the 16th Century as the Africans were entering the American territory under the Treaty (Slavery Treaty), they were known under the term "cimarronaje" where they formed the "quilombos" in Brasil, the "palenques" in Colombia/Mexico/Cuba, and the "cumbres" in Venezuela. In Africa the resistance of the Bijago of Guinea and the Jagas of Congo were armed in blocks of warriors in various regions in closed camps called "Kilombos". This was part of the fight against the negotiation of the Treaty.
The treaty involving the slaves of Africa comes together with countless tragedies where in Cartagena de Indias the resistance was continuous as it involved slaves who were able to escape and eventually formed small groups that hid deep in the mountains.

One of the groups which fought against the Spanish military at La Matuna was so powerful that in 1603 Jeronimo Suazo (the Governor) was obliged to sign a peace treaty. The "palenqueros" of La Matuna which was headed by Domingo Benkos had confronted the Spanish with such power that historians have called it the War of the Cimarrones.

In San Basilio de Palenque it is still expressed within the community the resistance and the cultural creativity of the Africans, especially in its social and linguistic organization.

The residents along all these centuries have come to form its own unique culture, where it has taken them to be known and declared as "Heritage to Humanity". (Research from Colombian Human Geography)