African Maroons in Sixteenth-Century Panama: A History in Documents

Robert C. Schwaller

University of Oklahoma Press, Sep 2, 2021 - History - 304 pages

From the 1520s through the 1580s, thousands of African slaves fled captivity in Spanish Panama and formed their own communities in the interior of the isthmus. African Maroons in Sixteenth-Century Panama, a primary source reader, edited by Robert C. Schwaller, documents this marronage in the context of five decades of African resistance to slavery.

The self-sufficiency of the Maroons, along with their periodic raids against Spanish settlements, sparked armed conflict as Spaniards sought to conquer the maroon communities and kill or re-enslave their populations. After decades of struggle, Maroons succeeded in negotiating a peace with Spanish authorities and establishing the first two free Black towns in the Americas. The little-known details of this dramatic history emerge in these pages, traced through official Spanish accounts, reports, and royal edicts, as well as excerpts from several English sources that recorded alliances between Maroons and English privateers in the region. The contrasting Spanish and English accounts reveal Maroons' attempts to turn European antagonism to their advantage; and, significantly, several accounts feature direct testimony from Maroons. Most importantly, this reader includes translations of the first peace agreements made between a European empire and African Maroons, and the founding documents of the free-Black communities of Santiago del Príncipe and Santa Cruz la Real—the culmination of the first successful African resistance movement in the Americas.

Schwaller has translated all the documents into English and presents each with a short introduction, thorough annotations, and full historical, cultural, and geographical context, making this volume accessible to undergraduate students while remaining a unique document collection for scholars.
 

Contents

• Governor Luis de Guzmán to the Crown August 28 1562: 81
• The Cabildo of Panama City to the Crown May 25 1571: 88
• Panama City Slave Ordinances 15701572: 90
• Maroons and the English 15721578: 101
• Excerpts from Sir Francis Drake Revived Drakes Alliance with Maroons January 1573: 103
• The Cabildo of Panama to the Crown February 24 1573: 112
• Excerpts from Sir Francis Drake Revived Drakes Final Attack April 1573: 113
• Cristóbal Montes Report on Drakes April Raid 1573: 117
• The Cabildo of Nombre de Dios to the Crown May 14 1573: 119
• Royal Cedula in Which His Majesty Orders Pedro Menéndez to Wage War September 3 1573: 120
• Pedro de Ortega Valencia to the Crown November 1 1573: 121
• Royal Cedula concerning the Peaceful Surrender of Negros Cimarrones June 21 1574: 123
• Act concerning Pardon for Negros Cimarrones February 28 1575: 125
• The Audiencia to the Crown May 6 1575: 128
• Lopez Vazs Account of John Oxenhams 1576: 129
• The Cabildo of Panama to the Crown April 26 1577: 135
• Dr Loarte to the Crown April 26 1577: 138
• The City of Panama to the Crown June 7 1577: 142
• Dr Loarte to Viceroy Toledo June 8 1577: 144
• Dr Loarte to the Crown September 5 1577: 146
• Diego de Frías Trejo to the Crown October 21 1577: 148
• Excerpts from the Questioning of John Oxenham October 20 1577: 153
• Diego de Frías Trejo to the Crown December 7 1577: 157
• Diego de Frías Trejo to the Crown February 18 1578: 158
• Dr Criado de Castilla to the Crown May 12 1578: 160
• Diego de Frías Trejo to the Crown May 15 1578: 162
• Royal Cedula Ordering War with Negros Cimarrones: 169
• Testimony of Rodrigo Hernández Dean of the Cathedral: 178
• Negros of Portobelo Approach the Audiencia March 11 1579: 184
• Rendition of Don Luis Maçanbique and the Cimarrones: 190
• Account of Captain Antonio de Salcedo in Portobelo: 199
• Census of the Residents of Santiago del Príncipe: 205
• Juan de Vivero Treasurer to the Crown February 28 1581: 211
• Account and List of Negros Cimarrones May 20 1581: 217
• The Audiencia to the Crown December 24 1581: 225
• Act in Which the Negros of the Bayano Were Welcomed: 229
• Deposition of Juan Vaquero May 3 1582: 245
• References: 265

About the author

Robert C. Schwaller is Associate Professor of History at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. His research focuses on the development of racial identity in early colonial Latin America.

Bibliographic information

• Title: African Maroons in Sixteenth-Century Panama: A History in Documents
• Editor: Robert C. Schwaller
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 2021
• ISBN: 0806176768, 9780806176765
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: History / African American & Black; History / Latin America / Central America; Social Science / Black Studies (Global); Social Science / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / Caribbean & Latin American Studies