African Diaspora in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Historic Title
Slavery
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Puerto Rico was a part of many Caribbean islands that were conquered by the Spanish conquistadors. The Taino people were forced into enslavement. Their numbers rapidly decreased after all the new foreign diseases that were brought onto the island by the Spaniards. As a solution, they brought African slaves to work in the gold mines. The slaves lived with their masters and families. They also inherited their masters last names.( Dawkins ). The reasons the Spaniards did this is to show ownership. They wanted the slaves they had power over to only belong to them and no one else, that is why they gave the slave their last names. That was not the only way the Spaniards showed ownerships of the slaves . They branded the slave with hot coals or iron on their foreheads to prevent any theft or them escaping(Dawkins). The hot irons were called carimbos. (Afropedea) Females were physically and sexually abused. Pregnant women were whipped while laying flat on their stomachs.(Afropedea) By doing this, it would make the slaves becoming free almost impossible. If the slaves happen to escape and the Spaniards found them, the can easily be identified by the marks on their heads. Additionally, if the women were whipped on their stomachs while being pregnant the unborn child would potentially die and the Spaniards would yet again get they upper hand because the get to abused the slave women more and by killing the unborn children there won't be any evidence of them sexually abusing these women.
Work cited
Dawkins, Farida. “The Fascinating History and Evolution of Afro-Puerto Ricans.” Face2Face Africa, Face2Faceafrica, 6 Feb. 2018, face2faceafrica.com/article/libertos-fascinating-history-origin-afro-puerto-ricans.
“Afro-Puerto Rican.” Afropedea, Afropede@, 2010, www.afropedea.org/afro-puerto-rican.
Resistance
Resistance to Slavery
In Puerto Rico, the Spaniards treated the African slaves terribly and they dehumanized them. They treated them like animals. The slaves did not accept this. They did not like the fact that they are forced to hard labour and in return they were given little to no food, no baths, even being called very derogatory names. So they planned something called a revolt. A revolt is a number of people refusing to be ruled over by so they take action against the authority who is controlling them. The slaves held their first major slave revolt in the year 1527, the ones that survived and escaped lived in the mountains as maroons also known as freed slaves. ( Maria ). That was not the one and only revolt the slaves did in Puerto Rico. By 1873, the slaves carried out over twenty slave revolts. (Maria). In the same year, José Julián Acosta, Francisco Mariano Quiñones, Julio L. de Vizcarrondo, Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis were some of the leaders that lead the slave abolition. This event was held on March 22, 1873.( Ivonne )
Work cited
Ivonne, Acosta. “Abolition of Slavery (1873).” EnciclopediaPR, Enciclodpedia De Puerto Rico, 2017, enciclopediapr.org/en/encyclopedia/abolition-of-slavery-1873/.
Maria, Donna. “Slave Rebellions.” Slave Rebellions, Blogger, 1 Jan. 1970, lifeofanunorsister.blogspot.com/2013/12/slaves-rebellions-and-spanish-driven-out.html.
African Diaspora culture, past and present
The Spaniards did not allow the African slaves to practice their culture. Unfortunately, that included the ones who resided in Puerto Rico. Instead they had to convert to Roman Catholicism, but the slaves found a way to combine both their culture and the Spaniards culture. Musical instruments that they used and brought over by them were Drums, Timbrels and Marimbolas. They still practiced dances that were part of their origin including the Guateque, the Curinqueque, the Candungue, the Bomba and the Plena.( Christopho -Mitchell ) This shows that Africans still found a way to bring love and joy into their harsh and oppressed life.There are still places in Puerto Rico that are cherished by the people since it reminds them of their ancestry and how far they have came from those dark times. Loíza, a town, is Puerto Rico center for African-inspired traditions. Loíza got its name from a female Taino chief after being baptized by the Spaniards. It was also a place for harboring escaped slaves. ( Black Voice News) Puerto Rico still appreciates and treasure what was left behind by the African slaves. It defines the people they are today.
Work cited
Christopho-Mitchell, Rose. “The Heritage and Culture of Puerto Ricans.” 91.02.06: The Heritage and Culture of Puerto Ricans, Yale New Haven Teachers Institute, 2017, teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1991/2/91.02.06.x.html.
Black Voice News. “Loíza: The Heart of Puerto Rico's Black Culture.” Black Voice News, Black Voice News, 14 Apr. 2018, blackvoicenews.com/2018/04/01/loiza-the-heart-of-puerto-ricos-black-culture/.