3A—History of Latin America
The African Experience
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I. The Iberian slave tradition

A. In medieval Iberia,

-- not exclusively African
-- domestic slaves, artisans; 10-15% of Lisbon pop. in 1630
--African cofradias

B. In the conquest of America,

-- conquistadors (Pizarro's and Cortés's armies), urban slaves, artisans
-- Peru: 1550s, 3k slaves ; 1650s, 100k or 10-15% of pop.
-- Mexico: 1550s, 20k slaves; 1650s, 35k slaves + 100k free blacks
--manumission; artisans; cofradias (St. Benedict the Moor)
-- Brazil in 16c

II. Plantation Complex

A. Origins: Portuguese sugar plantations in 15c; Cape Verde, the Azores

B. Defined by: size, slave labor, capitalist agriculture + feudal relations, African slave trade, high mortality rate

C. The Middle Passage: 10 + million, 30-50% mortality

3.8 million to Brazil
2.2 million to British/Dutch colonies (6% U.S.) 1.7 million to the French Caribbean
1.5 million to Spanish America

D. The plantation regime

-- Haiti: The Black Code (1685); mortality rate 50% in first 8 yrs; 30% + of world's sugar supply in 1780s
-- Brazil: smaller plantations (enghenos); lavradores de cana; free blacks = 50% of pop. in northeast

III. Resistance to Plantation Slavery

-- Suicide/poison plots
-- Escape: marronage (maroons)

Mexico , Cuba , Colombia : palenques
Brazil : quilombos or macombos
Venezuela : cumbe

-- Haitian Revolution, 1791-1804

IV. Cultural and Social Effects

A. Demographic effects

Barbados in 1645:
-Tobacco
-37,000 whites and 5,700 slaves
-60% of whites were property owners

Barbados in 1685:
-Sugar
-17,000 whites, most property owned by the few
-50,000 slaves, mostly African-born

Jamaica 1730s-80s: 10:1 ratio black/white
Haiti 1780s: 460,000 slaves
Cuba mid-19c: 40% + of world sugar

B. Religious and cultural effects

-- music: cumbia (Colombia), son (Cuba), lando (Peru), samba (Brazil)
-- religion: candomblé & umbanda (Brazil) , santería/orisha (Cuba), vodou (Haiti)

C. Developing notions of race