cuba - History Lab

Black Trade in Cuba

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:11 +0000

Report at the request of the Council of the Indies on the request of the neighbours of Cuba to supply the provinces of America with blacks.

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Francisco Ramírez’s scientific expedition

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:42 +0000

Oficio del Príncipe de la Paz so that the lieutenant colonel attached to the Plaza de Madrid, Francisco Ramírez, may go to Cuba for the commission entrusted to the brigadier Count of Mopox and Jaruco to explore matters relating to lithology and mineralogy. (The official letter is signed by the Prince of La Paz)

The post Francisco Ramírez’s scientific expedition first appeared on History Lab.

Shares of the Royal Havana Company

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:37 +0000

Two shares of the Royal Havana Company, in the name of Miguel Francisco de Zuaznabar y Soroa, son of Miguel Antonio de Zuaznábar, court director of the Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas and shareholder of the Havana Company

The post Shares of the Royal Havana Company first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of the population by socio-racial groups in Cuba, 1774-1827

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

The post Evolution of the population by socio-racial groups in Cuba, 1774-1827 first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of the population by socio-racial groups in Matanzas (Cuba), 1774-1827

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

At the end of the 18th century, the island of Cuba underwent a series of institutional transformations that resulted in a reformulation of the colonial pact between the local elites and the crown. This series of changes affected the structure of property ownership, agricultural production and the growth and composition of the population, making the island the world’s leading colonial sugar producer. Until the 17th century, the weight of the sugar economy in the province was minimal. The jurisdiction had five mills in 1778 and eight in 1792, producing 1.5% of the island’s total sugar. The momentum of the slave plantation system in the region was such that in 1827 there were 111 enclaves dedicated to this type of production in Matanzas, which contributed 25% of the island’s total production. One of the indicators of this process of change was the availability of labour linked to the success of the sugar model, where slaves and free blacks predominated. In the case of Matanzas, the general trend of growth was led by free blacks and slaves in the first period, with a more timid increase among whites. From 1792 onwards, the rate of growth was set by the slave population. With regard to Cuba, it should be noted that growth never stagnated at any time, and that the intensity was more pronounced, especially at the end of the period. The dynamism is reflected in the growth of the population of Matanzas as a proportion of the island’s population, from 2% in 1774 to 7% in 1827. Slaves not only outnumbered the white population, but also accounted for 9% of the total number of slaves in Cuba in 1827. In general terms, Matanzas underwent much more intense demographic transformations than the rest of the island during the 18th century, particularly among the slave population.

The post Evolution of the population by socio-racial groups in Matanzas (Cuba), 1774-1827 first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of the births, deaths and natural growth of the black population of Matanzas (1755-1810)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

The post Evolution of the births, deaths and natural growth of the black population of Matanzas (1755-1810) first appeared on History Lab.

Annual series of immigration entries of African slaves in Matanzas, 1755-1810

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

At the end of the seventeenth century, the island of Cuba underwent a series of institutional transformations that resulted in a reformulation of the colonial pact between the local elites and the crown. This series of changes affected the structure of property ownership, agricultural production and the growth and composition of the population, making the island the world’s leading colonial sugar producer. Until the 17th century, the weight of the sugar economy in the province was minimal. The jurisdiction had five mills in 1778 and eight in 1792, producing 1.5% of the island’s total sugar. The migration calculation, through the registration data, shows a very low immigration of slaves. The reasons for this are that the expansion of the agricultural frontier was from Havana towards Matanzas, which means that, if there was immigration, it should have been in this direction, and that the mobility of the slave depended on his owner, so it is expected that the slave population remained in Matanzas with their masters at the time of the sugar expansion. The flow of slave imports in the second half of the 18th century increased tenfold and was marked by strong oscillations. The largest inflows corresponded to an international context of internal transformations that made it possible to increase the black labour force through the slave trade in three periods. In the first period (1775-1785), slave imports seemed to be more sporadic and dependent on external events, such as the British invasion of 1762 and the American War of Independence. During the second period (1785-1795), there was a change in the trend towards a regular increase in forced immigration, and the effect of the French Revolution in Saint Domingue in 1791 led to a smaller influx of slaves. The growth of the curve coincided with medium-term internal transformations, such as the liberation of the slave trade (1789-1798), the application of duties favourable to production, alcabalas or tithes on sugar, coffee, indigo, cotton and the stimulation of the sugar trade, such as the increase in tariffs for free trade between Spain and the Indies. The last period, from 1795-1810, saw a stabilisation of the massive influx of slaves.

The post Annual series of immigration entries of African slaves in Matanzas, 1755-1810 first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of the Havana garrison (Cuba, 1701-1746)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

During the War of the Spanish Succession, numerous human resources were mobilised in the Indies in favour of the French pretender. But Philip V was aware of the logistical impossibility of transporting large contingents of troops from the Americas to the mainland and maintaining them adequately during the journey. Nevertheless, the military mobilisation in the Indies was large enough to rid the continent of foreign interference during this period. The resource shows the evolution of the Havana garrison, as measured by salaries, between 1701 and 1746. From a first stage of maintenance in numbers, with spending oscillating in a constant range, a new regulation was implemented in 1719 that sought to improve the isolation and permanence of the soldiers in Havana. For 20 years the average number of men was 800, a figure that increased exponentially with the Anglo-Spanish war that began in 1739 in the Caribbean. Known as the War of the Seat, the conflict forced more troops to be garrisoned and, except for the occasional episode of bankruptcy in 1742, the bonds enjoyed good health both because of the aid they received from New Spain (situated) and because of the administration of their own internal coffers. The withdrawal of the English fleet from the Caribbean eased Havana’s financial burden, showing a slight decrease at the end of 1746.

The post Evolution of the Havana garrison (Cuba, 1701-1746) first appeared on History Lab.

Average number of slaves baptised per owner and standard deviation for the 1760s, 1780s and 1790s.

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:02 +0000

At the end of the seventeenth century, the island of Cuba underwent a series of institutional transformations that resulted in a reformulation of the colonial pact between the local elites and the crown. This series of changes affected the structure of property ownership, agricultural production and the growth and composition of the population, making the island the world’s leading colonial sugar producer. Until the 17th century, the weight of the sugar economy in the province was minimal. The jurisdiction had five mills in 1778 and eight in 1792, producing 1.5% of the island’s total sugar. The migration calculation, through the registration data, shows a very low immigration of slaves. The reasons for this are that the expansion of the agricultural frontier took place from Havana towards Matanzas, which means that, if there was immigration, it should have taken place in this direction, and that the mobility of the slave depended on his owner, so it is expected that the slave population remained in Matanzas with their masters at the time of the sugar expansion. The evolution of the average size shows in the periods 1760-1769 and 1790-1799 the possibilities for an increase in the size of the farms. Compared to the period 1780-1789, this shows a significant drop in dispersion. The slave population of 1763-1764 served to supply the labour needs of the existing landowners, allowing the farms to increase in size. This dispersion shows how owners of the stature of Jerónimo Contreras and the Marquis of Justis de Santa Anna baptised 170 and 82 slaves respectively, coinciding with the turn to sugar by these two great families. In this sense, the proliferation in the number of owners was much faster than the births and imports of slaves. The intensity of this boom not only fuelled the farms, but also served to increase their size by the end of the period.

The post Average number of slaves baptised per owner and standard deviation for the 1760s, 1780s and 1790s. first appeared on History Lab.

City and frontier between the Mediterranean and the Hapsburg Atlantic

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:11 +0000

This audio explains the main characteristics of walled cities in the Hapsburg period and the cities that were the maritime frontier of Spanish possessions in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean. Firstly, the subject is approached from an architectural and construction point of view, making a comparison between the different port cities. Secondly, the importance of fortification goes beyond the simple defensive wall, they are also frontiers of power, with a strong symbolic character, where the city itself acts as a political, economic and military centre, especially in coastal cities. These are the gateways to maritime trade, in short, to the connection between continents.

The post City and frontier between the Mediterranean and the Hapsburg Atlantic first appeared on History Lab.