The Black Middle: Africans, Mayas, and Spaniards in Colonial YucatanWinner of the Conference on Latin American History's 2010 Mexican History Book Prize. The Black Middle is the first full-length study of black African slaves and other people of African descent in the Spanish colonial province of Yucatan. Matthew Restall makes expert use of Spanish and Maya language documents from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, found in a dozen different archives. His goal is to discover what life was like for a people hitherto ignored by historians. He explores such topics as slavery and freedom, militia service and family life, bigamy and witchcraft, and the ways in which Afro-Yucatecans (as he dubs them) interacted with Mayas and Spaniards. Restall concludes that, in numerous ways, Afro-Yucatecans lived and worked in a middle space between but closely connected to Mayas and Spaniards. The book's "black middle" thesis has profound implications for the study of Africans throughout the Americas. |
Contents
Making the Boatloads Visible | 1 |
People as Property | 34 |
Race and Rank | 75 |
Ways of Work | 112 |
Ways Up and Ways Out | 153 |
Communities | 200 |
Magical Meetings | 247 |
The AfroYucatecan Middle | 278 |
Appendices | 286 |
Notes | 357 |
Glossary | 405 |
Other editions - View all
The Black Middle: Africans, Mayas, and Spaniards in Colonial Yucatan Matthew Restall No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
adults African African slaves Afro-Yucatecans AGI-México America Antonio appear baptism baptized became Belize bishop black slaves British brought called Campeche casta census century Chapter church colonial colonial period coloreds companies continued corn decades descent Diego discussed early eighteenth century elite encomenderos encomienda English evidence example fact first four Francisco free-colored given governor hundred identity important included Indians Isabel Joseph Juan labor late later less listed lived Manuel María marriage married Maya means Merida mestizos Mexico militia mulatto named native negra negro Note occupations officials origin owners pardo parish patterns pesos population priest probably records reference reflected relations residents servants seventeenth slave owners slavery social society Source Spain Spaniards Spanish Table tion town trade various Veracruz villages women Yucatan Yucatec Yucatecans