Mexico's African Presence

This post goes out to Brother Seko of the Imani Foundation who began teaching on this subject (The African presence in the Latino/Hispanic/Chicano) back in the mid 1990s. - Imani

Photo: (Right) Brother Elder Runoko Rashidi with an (Left) Afro-Mexican !

While the spanish where conquering countries througout the Americans they brought free africans over to mexico such as Juan Garrido (born in west african) Even though africans helped the spanish fight battles they were not treated equally beacuse they were african. Afrter the battles many natives had died in mexico, while others faught hard for freedom.In order to produce more labor African Slaves were taken to mexico by the spanish from the coast of Ghana to Angola. Many Africans who were slaves intermarried with natives. Most Afro Mexicans are Zambo (African & Native mixture)

http://blackhistoryclass.blogspot.com/2008/11/lesson-18-of-26-black-mexicans.html

Gasper Yanga was one the greatest leaders in slavery. He was a Gabonese who helped african slaves build palenques to esacape the cruelty of slavery. Francisco de la Matosa who was Angolan also helped right battles against the spanish as they destroyed maroon towns. the battle lasted many years and the spanish was unable to defeat the africans. They decided to sign a treaty in the town of veracruz and today it still remains Yanga town.

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1935-african-roots-stretch-deep-into-mexico

Costa Chica has the largest black population in Mexico. While other areas such Veracruz, and Yucatan have a significant black population.

The song ‘La Bamba’, a traditional folk song and dance, was originally a song sung by African slaves in Veracruz as they worked, since many of the enslaves brought to Mexico by the Spaniards, came from Angola and Congo, with the Africans who originated the song hailing from the MBamba peoples of Angola. Bamba is the name of an African tribe in Angola and in Congo, from the Bamba River, where the MBamba peoples lived. As enslaves, they brought their beautiful culture with them, and the original origins of this song, over 500 years ago, and as so very often, with enslaved Africans in the new world, they fought against enslavement, running away and joining up with the indigenous peoples in the rain forests and mountainous areas.

The song also refers to a specific incident which occurred in the year 1683, in the Mexican state of Veracruz, when pirates attacked the people, free and enslaved, living there. The Spanish officials of Veracruz mistreated the enslaves so horribly that they rebelled in what was known as the “Bambarria”, an enslave uprising that pitted the African enslaves and Indians against the Spanish. (New Spain as it was called, because at the time, the country we now know as Mexico, did not exist as a nation, until approximately 200 years later, when in 1810, Mexico/New Spain gained its independence from Spain).







Refferences:
(1) “MEXICO IN THE CONTEXT OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE”, By BOBBY VAUGHN: http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=1373

UNHCR – REFWORLD: “WORLD DIRECTORY OF MINORITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE – MEXICO: AFRO-MEXICANS”: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,49709c232,49749ce5c,0.html

“SE HABLA ESPANOL (TAMBIEN SE CANTA, SE BAILA, Y SE ESCRIBE), By Alexander J. Reyes: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2006/2/06.02.06.x.html

LA BAMBA: CANCION DE VERACUZ: “A SONG THAT STARTED IN 1683″: http://www.johntoddjr.com/143%20Bamba/bamba.htm
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