Maria Gomes Raimundo

Angolan abolitionist who led the largest slave rebellion in Portuguese colonial history

Maria Gomes Raimundo (1830-1890), known as Mariquinha das Letras, orchestrated the 1836 rebellion in Luanda that freed over 10,000 enslaved people. Her leadership combined literacy campaigns with armed resistance, documented in Angolan Resistance to Colonialism. Though suppressed, her actions inspired later movements like the 1891 Great Rebellion.

Raimundo's underground schools taught literacy to enslaved communities, preserved in historical archives at National Archive of Angola. Modern historians like Dr. João Sócrates highlight her role in Journal of African History. Her legacy is commemorated in Luanda's Mariquinha Memorial, a UNESCO heritage site.

Her story appears in Unchained Women, which examines her unique blend of education and rebellion strategies. Contemporary activists reference her methods in African Liberation Quarterly.