History of Africa usually governed by an "oba" and an "iwarefa", a council of chiefs who advised the "oba." by the 18th century, the Yoruba city-states formed a loose confederation, with the "Oni" of Ife as the head and Ife as the capital. As time went on, the individual city-states became more powerful with their "obas" assuming more powerful spiritual positions and diluting the authority of the "Oni" of Ife. Rivalry became intense among the city-states. The Oyo Empire rose in the 16th century. The Oyo state had been conquered in 1550 by the kingdom of Nupe, which was in possession of cavalry,
Yoruba people Atlantic world domains, the Yorubas were known by the designations: "Nagos/Anago", "Terranova", "Lucumi" and "Aku", or by the names of their various clans. The Yoruba left an important presence in Cuba and Brazil, particularly in Havana and Bahia. According to a 19th-century report, "the Yoruba are, still today, the most numerous and influential in this state of Bahia. The most numerous are those from Oyo, capital of the Yoruba kingdom". Others included Ijexa (Ijesha), Lucumi Ota (Aworis), Ketus, Ekitis, Jebus (Ijebu), Egba, Lucumi Ecumacho (Ogbomosho), and Anagos. In the documents dating from 1816 to 1850, Yorubas constituted 69.1% of all