Before He Died, I Killed Zumbi

Chapter 2, “Before He Died, I Killed Zumbi,” extends the historical narrative from the previous chapter by way of the petitions that colonial soldiers made to the Crown to secure mercês, a variety of rewards and privileges that could come from military service. Of special interest are the claims that soldiers made to have killed Zumbi before he actually died. While multiple soldiers made such claims, the brags and fabulations of Manoel Lopes, a prominent, though today little-known, combatant were especially bold and numerous. His claims and others illustrate both the confusion on the part of the colonial forces about who Zumbi was and the way that soldiers generated wealth and other inheritances from not only military exploits but also false assertions. Rumor, the chapter shows, circulated not only by mouth but also in writing.