Manuscript No. 045
Date: 1528, February 15. Burgos, Spain
Theme: The Spanish Crown requested information from La Española on the enslaved Blacks reportedly sent already “to those islands as well as to Tierra Firme” under the contract with the Governor of Bresa, and acknowledged receiving requests from the colonists to send the totality of the 4,000 slaves contracted. The king approved a ban reportedly established by the colonial officials against the importing of “free Blacks” and “ladinos” since they were considered inciters of rebellions and “other damaging things.” He also nullified a prior order to allow enslaved Blacks to buy their freedom. And he complained that his own royal bureaucrats in La Española were intentionally underpricing the slaves imported into the colony as a way to pay less almojarifazgo or import tax to the Crown itself.
Source: Portal de Archivos Españoles, Archivo General de Indias, Indiferente,421, L.13, f.7r-10v.