Ribeirão Grande and Terra Seca Quilombos, Vale do Ribeira, SP

The Quilombos* of Ribeirão Grande and Terra Seca are located in the municipality of Barra do Turvo, near the Régis Bittencourt Highway (BR 116) and next to the state border of São Paulo and Paraná. In these communities live 77 families, approximately 430 people, who survive on subsistence agriculture. The principal products cultivated are rice, beans, cassava, corn and diverse types of vegetables. Cultivation is in the form of agroforestry systems as well as age-old systems of slash and fallow (traditional agricultural systems practiced by indigenous peoples that use a rotational method of planting without the use of fertilizers).

*Quilombos are settlements of Afro-descendant communities called quilombolas. These quilombolas consist of descendants of slaves from Angola who liberated themselves from Portuguese oppressors during the colonial period of Brazil. Palmares, the first quilombo and a symbol of pride and freedom for these communities to this day, was born in 1600. At this site and subsequent settlements like it, a humane haven was provided for the disenfranchised, which embraced a diversity of peoples such as Afro-descendants, indigenous tribes, and poor migrant workers. To this day, quilombos still exist where sons and daughters of these brave forerunners continue to live and uphold their legacy.

Fazenda Picinguaba Quilombo, Ubatuba, SP

The Fazenda Picinguaba Quilombo is located within the municipality of Ubatuba, near the Rio-Santos Highway (BR 101) and next to the border between the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Approximately 50 families live there and survive on family agriculture. The community also cultivates agroforestry systems for the production of beans, corn, vegetables, and fruits like mountain apples, avocado, papayas, jackfruit, and bananas. Today, the principle source of income comes from the marketing of two products: the pulp of juçara, a kind of coconut found in the region, which is sustainably produced in partnership with IPEMA (The Permaculture Institute of the Atlantic Forests); and cassava flour, which is produced in the historic flour mill of the community, which they call Casa da Farinha (House of Flour).

Cambury Quilombo, Ubatuba, SP

Cambury is a small fishing village in the Atlantic Forests at the heart of the State Park of Serra do Mar and the National Park of Serra da Bocaina, 50 km from the center of Ubatuba and 30 km from Paraty. For more than 200 years, the quilombola families and caiçaras* lived in harmony with nature. It is a unique setting, where one of the oldest Brazilian cultures has survived its colonial past. Living in traditional houses on stilts, fishing in wooden canoes, and cooking on wooden stoves, the community maintains an age-old way of life. The area holds various scenic trails in the forest with hidden waterfalls and natural pools. The Brava do Cambury beach is peacefully deserted and ideal for surfing.

*Artisinal fishefolk and agriculturalists of mixed African, indigenous and European descent who live along the southeastern coast of São Paulo State within the Atlantic Forests.