Rivers of Gold, Lives of Bondage

Enslaved Africans were pivotal to the expansion of Spanish imperial power and the colonization of the Americas, particularly in the Kingdom of Quito. This study reveals that slavery was not merely a system of labor but a fundamental dimension of governance, with enslaved individuals serving as symbols of royal authority through branding and Catholic baptism. By tracing their journey from Cartagena to Quito, the research demonstrates how these captives formed communal bonds, challenged their conditions, and integrated into a slave-based Catholic society. The crown's regulation of slavery extended its sovereignty over territories, resources, and markets, while also shaping colonial subjecthood. This work expands the diaspora paradigm beyond the Atlantic, offering new perspectives on the nature of slavery in the Afro-Andes during the early modern period.

Bryant, S. K. (2014). Rivers of Gold, Lives of Bondage. https://doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469607726.001.0001