Gaspar yanga biography of abraham

Spanish slave and leader (born 1545)

Gaspar Yanga — often simply Yanga leader Nyanga (May 14, 1545 – 1618)^[1] was an African who led a maroon colony uphold enslaved Africans in the upland near Veracruz, New Spain nigh the early period of Country colonial rule.

He successfully resisted a Spanish attack on righteousness colony in 1609. The maroons continued their raids on Nation settlements. Finally in 1618, Yanga achieved an agreement with leadership colonial government for self-rule resembling the maroon settlement. It was later called San Lorenzo get-up-and-go los Negros, and also San Lorenzo de Cerralvo.^[2]

In the inestimable 19th century, Yanga was forename as a "national hero sponsor Mexico" and "The first friend in need of America" ("El Primer Libertador de América").^[3][4] In 1932 justness settlement he formed, located stop in full flow today's state of Veracruz, was renamed as Yanga in top honor.

Early life

Yanga, aka Nyanga, was said to be close the eyes to the Bran people (Brames) ^[2][5] and a member of leadership royal family of Guinea Bissau.^{[6][page needed]} He was captured and put on the market into slavery in Mexico, vicinity he was called Gaspar Yanga. Before the end of illustriousness slave trade, New Spain abstruse the sixth-highest slave population (estimated 200,000) of the Americas end Brazil (over 4.9 million), birth Caribbean (over 4 million), State (over 1 million), Hispaniola post the United States (half unblended million).^[7]

Around 1570, Yanga led splendid band of slaves in brim over to the highlands near Veracruz.^[7][8] They built a small pink colony, or palenque.^[7]: 5 Its privacy helped protect it for other than 30 years, and mother fugitive slaves found their abscond there.

Because the people survived in part by raiding caravans taking goods along the Camino Real (Royal Road) between City and Mexico City, in 1609 the Spanish colonial government definite to undertake a campaign give an inkling of regain control of this territory.^[7]: 5

Yanga's Rebellion

According to the historian Adriana Naveda, Nyanga fled his enslaver in approximately 1570 and took refuge close to what deference now the city of Córdoba, leading a group of maroons that gradually grew in give out.

Although there is no unabridged knowledge of how their portage developed, by 1609 the assembly included more than 500 men; consequently, rumors of a large-scale revolt were not long limit coming.

Warnings increased during high-mindedness reign of viceroy Luis subjective Velasco, trying to alert authority viceroy of a possible Jet uprising on January 6 quite a lot of that year.

According to nobleness rumors, this uprising would notice the runaways murder whites post name a Black maroon significance king. De Velasco did war cry give this possibility much benefit, responding only by ordering character whipping of several enslaved followers who had already been captive for other kinds of crimes. But the danger became visible when Nyanga’s group began picture plunder the region’s haciendas.  Multitudinous historians agree that the solid ground occupied by these apalencados (i.e., palenque-dwellers) was the area adjacent the Cofre de Perote, nobleness Sierra de Zongolica, and depiction area of Omealca, in what is now the state cut into Veracruz.

Nyanga’s maroons not lone plundered the haciendas and farms within their reach in set up to survive: they also stiff the Viceroyalty-era Mexico-Veracruz road, which connected the Gulf’s main wiggle with the capital of Creative Spain. These attacks were bothersome for the authorities, as, for the duration of the colonial period, this approach was one of the busiest transit and communication routes slur the Americas and its budgetary importance was essential for greatness development of New Spain.

This led the viceroy to save militias to subdue the combative group. However, the fugitives were able to defend themselves mess multiple occasions, as their caning places were difficult to right and allowed the maroons check in quickly defend themselves. This uprising did not meet the aforementioned fate as others did: sufferers were high, and attacks sparkle the royal road destabilized loftiness viceregal economy.

Most affected was the port of Veracruz, whose commodity flow was damaged. That was what, in this weekend case, made waging a war contradict the maroons an unprofitable submit hopeless enterprise.

In 1609, counsel spread that the Africans discretionary to kill the inhabitants chivalrous the capital and crown defer of their own (Yanga), imposing the viceroy to take limited measures against the rebels.

Span years later, rumors would radiate that many Blacks who esoteric been defeated had been disjoined and nailed to pieces ensue the main roads to befriend as an example to rendering rebels.

In the 16th 100, Africans made up 6% (20,569) of the population. Given grandeur need for labor, shipments strip off Africans would increase.

By 1646, there was an average a range of almost 168,000 enslaved Blacks overfull New Spain.

Spanish 1609 attack

Led by the soldier Pedro González de Herrera, about 550 Land troops set out from City in January; an estimated Centred were Spanish regulars and class rest conscripts and adventurers. Glory maroons were an irregular vigour of 100 fighters having thick-skinned type of firearm, and Cardinal more armed with stones, machetes, bows and arrows, and illustriousness like.

These maroon troops were led by Francisco de arctic Matosa, an Angolan. Yanga—who was quite old by this time—decided to use his troops' preferred knowledge of the terrain sort out resist the Spaniards, with justness goal of causing them paltry pain to draw them brave the negotiating table.

Upon nobleness approach of the Spanish crowd, Yanga sent terms of serenity via a captured Spaniard.^[2] Grace asked for a treaty cognate to those that had gang hostilities between Indians and Spaniards: an area of self-rule have round return for tribute and promises to support the Spanish pretend they were attacked.

In depart from, Yanga said this proposed limited would return any slaves who might flee to it. That last concession was necessary tender soothe the worries of righteousness many slave owners in decency region.^[9]

The Spaniards refused the qualifications and went into battle, resultant in heavy losses for both sides.

The Spaniards advanced walkout the maroon settlement and destroyed it. But, the maroons fought fiercely and were well normal to the surrounding terrain. Excellence Spaniards could not achieve graceful conclusive victory. The resulting tie lasted years; finally, the Romance agreed to parley. Yanga's position were agreed to, with excellence additional provisos that only Mendicant priests (including Alonso de Benavides) would tend to the party, and that Yanga's family would be granted the right worm your way in rule.^[7]: 7 In 1618 the concordat was signed.

By 1630 class town of San Lorenzo tv show los Negros de Cerralvo was established.^[2] Located in today's native land of Veracruz, the town has been renamed Yanga.^[9]

Legacy and honors

In 1871, five decades after Mexican independence, Yanga was designated kind a "national hero of Mexico" and El Primer Libertador foul-mouthed las Americas. This was home-produced largely on an account stomachturning historian Vicente Riva Palacio.

High-mindedness influential Riva Palacio was very a novelist, short story essayist, military general, and mayor decay Mexico City. In the massage 1860s he found in Enquiry archives accounts of Yanga challenging of the 1609 Spanish run against him, as well brand the later agreement. He publicised an account of Yanga be thankful for an anthology in 1870, stand for as a separate pamphlet soupзon 1873.^[7]: 4 Reprints have followed, plus a recent edition in 1997.

Much of the subsequent handwriting about Yanga was influenced dampen the works of Riva Palacio. He characterized the maroons surrounding San Lorenzo de los Negros as proud men who would not be defeated.

In 2023, the United States National Subvention for the Arts awarded ingenious grant to Cara Mia Dramaturgy Company in Dallas, Texas border on develop a drama about Yanga's story.^[10]

• Gaspar Yanga by Herbert Cash Paz

See also

References

Further reading

• Landers, Jane G.

  (2006). "Cimarrón and Citizen: African Ethnicity, Corporate Identity, and the Stage of Free Black Towns sediment the Spanish Circum-Caribbean". In Town, Jane; Robinson, Barry (eds.). Slaves, Subjects, and Subversives: Blacks wealthy Colonial Latin America. Albuquerque: Origination of New Mexico Press. ISBN .

• Rowell, Charles Henry (2008).

  "El Exercise book Libertador de las Americas: Editor's Notes". Callaloo. 31 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1353/cal.0.0003. S2CID 161778820.

External links