Afro-Peruvians
are citizens of Peru, descended from African slaves
who were brought to the New World with the arrival
of the Spanish conquistadors towards the end of
the slave trade.
-Afro
Peruvian Eva Ayllon singing 'Toro Mata'
famous afro peruvian song, in Hollywood USA
According
to the Inter-American Dialogue Race Report, January 2003,
about 5% of the population of Peru is of African descent,
others like the author/investigator, José Carlos
Luciano Huapaya in his book, Los Afroperuanos, claims
10% to 15% of the population.
Early
history
The
first Afro-Peruvians arrived with the conquistadors in
1521, to return permanently in 1525. They fought alongside
the conquistadors as soldiers and worked wherever needed.
Because of their previous acculturation in Spanish language
and culture, they performed a variety of skilled and unskilled
functions that contributed to Hispanic colonization.
Gradually,
Afro-Peruvians concentrated in specialized fields that
drew upon their extensive knowledge and training in skilled
artisan work and in agriculture. As the mestizo population
grew, the role of Afro-Peruvians as intermediaries between
the indigenous residents and the Spaniards lessened. The
mestizo population increased through liaisons between
Spanish and indigenous Peruvians. From this reality, a
pigmentocracy became increasingly important to protect
the privileges of Spanish overlords and their Spanish
and mestizo children. In this system, Spaniards were at
the top of the hierarchy, mestizos in the middle, and
Africans and the indigenous populations competed for the
bottom. Mestizos inherited the privilege of helping the
Spanish administer the country.
Furthermore,
as additional immigrants arrived from Spain and aggressively
settled Peru, the mestizos attempted to keep the most
lucrative jobs for themselves. In the early colonial period,
Afro-Spaniards and Afro-Peruvians frequently worked in
the gold mines because of their familiarity with the techniques.
Gold mining and smithing were common in parts of western
Africa from at least the fourth century. However, after
the early colonial period, few Afro-Peruvians would become
goldsmiths or silversmiths. In the end Afro-Peruvians
were relegated to back-breaking labor on sugarcane and
rice plantations of the northern coast or the vineyards
and cotton fields of the southern coast. The indigenous
population tended to work in the silver mines, of which
they had a more expert knowledge than western Africans
or Spanish, even in the pre-Columbian eras.
Slave
trade
Slavery in the Spanish New World colonies
Over
the course of the slave trade, approximately 95,000 slaves
were brought into Peru, with the last group arriving in
1850. They were initially transferred to Cuba but continued
to Panamá where they were brought to the Viceroyalty
of Peru. Slave owners also purchased their slaves in Cartagena,
Colombia or Veracruz Mexico at trade fairs, and they took
back to Peru whatever the slave ships had brought over.
Slaves were distributed between encomiendas as a result
of the "New laws" of 1548 and due to the influence
of the denunciation of the abuses against Native Americans
by Friar Bartolomé de las Casas.
Slave
owners in Peru also preferred slaves who were from specific
areas of Africa, and who could communicate with each other.
Slave owners preferred slaves from Guinea, from the Senegal
River down to the Slave Coast, because the Spanish considered
them to be easy to manage, and also because they had marketable
skills—they knew how to plant rice, train horses,
and herd cattle on horseback. The slave owners also preferred
slaves from the area stretching from Ghana to Eastern
Nigeria. Finally, the slave owners' third choice was for
slaves from Congo, Mantenga, Cambado, Misanga, Mozambique,
Madagascar, Terranova, Mina and Angola.
In
the year 1856, President Ramon Castilla y Marquezado declared
the freedom of the Afro-Peruvian ethnic groups and abolished
slavery, beginning a new stage in history. Today, Afro-Peruvian
communities celebrate the landmark decision of Castilla
with a popular refrain:
Que viva mi papá,
que viva mi mamá,
que viva Ramón Castilla
que nos dio la liberta'
Hooray for my Dad,
Hooray for my Mom,
Hooray for Ramón Castilla
Who gave us freedom
The
newly freed citizens typically took the last name of their
former owners. For instance, slaves in the service of
the Florez family named themselves Florez or Flores.
Afro-Peruvians
today
Today,
Afro-Peruvians (also known as Afrodescent Peruvians) reside
mainly on the central and south coast, with the majority
of the population in the provinces of Lima, Callao, Nazca,
Chincha, Ica and Cañete. Afro-Peruvians can also
be found in significant numbers on the northern coast
in Lambayeque and Piura. The greatest concentration of
Afro-Peruvians and Mestizos of Afrodescent is in the Callao,
an area that has historically received many of the Afro-Peruvians
from the north and southern coast.
On
the southern coast of the Ica Region, there are
many cotton fields and vineyards, and the area is
commonly known for its black populations such as
that in El Carmen of the populous Chincha Province.
There are other such towns in the Nazca, Ica City
and in the district of San Luis in the Cañete
Province near Lima, and Nazca to the south of Lima.
In Lima, the towns most well-known for having large
concentrations of Afrodescent populations are Puente
Piedra, Chorrillos, Rimac, and La Victoria.
Afro-Peruvians also reside in the northern regions
of
Peru such as La Libertad and Ancash, but the larger populations
are concentrated in the northern valley plantations of
the regions of Piura and Lambayeque.
Most
Afro-Peruvian communities live in rural farming areas
where mango, rice, and sugarcane production is present.
Contrary to the southern coast, these communities are
mainly found away from the coastal shores and in to the
region of the yungas, where the plain meets the Andes.
-----Teofilo
Cubillas
The
greatest Afro-Peruvian populations of the North
coast are found mainly in the outskirts of the Morropon
Province and concentrate themselves in Piura and
Tumbes. The central province of Morropón
is well known by its black communities in cities
like especially in the cities of Chulucanas, Yapatera,
Chapica del Carmelo, La Matanza, Pabur(Hacienda
Pabur), Morropón, Salitral, Buenos Aires,
San Juan de Bigote and Canchaque,and to the north
Tambogrande. All of these cities belong to the Piura
Region, where there are large rice fields and mango
plantations.
South
of the Lambayeque Region and north of La Libertad where
sugarcane production was very productive in the past,
there are several cities known for their black inhabitants.
Examples are the colonial city of Saña in Lambayeque,
famous for being the second most important Afro-Peruvian
city of the Peruvian north. Also Tuman, Capote, Cayaltí,
and Batán Grande within the region of Lambayeque
are known to have large amounts of Afro-Peruvian populations
in the sugarcane region.
Also
the populations of Chancay and Aucallama are known
in the province of Huaral, and the town of Acarí,
in the province of Caravelí, to the north
of Arequipa.In
northern regions like Libertad and Ancash, Afroperuvians
also exist, but in lesser measure, since the great
majority of that population is concentrated in the
regions of Piura and Lambayeque.
Recently
it has been verified that the community with the
greatest concentration of Afro-Peruvians is Yapatera
in Morropón (Piura), made up of around 7,000
farmers who are largely descended from African slaves
of "malagasy" (Madagascar) origin.
Formerly,
Chincha to the south of Lima and other communities
in Ica were known as the towns of greatest Afro-Peruvian
concentration, but due to the excessive mixing between
the Afro inhabitants native to the area and the
Andean migrants, the Afro-Peruvian root has been
more hybridized. Also, many of the Afrodescent residents
of these communities migrated towards
St.
Martin de Porres-----
Lima
for better opportunities.
----Jefferson
Farfan - PSV Endoven
Freed
slaves also arrived in small valleys in the rain forests
of the Amazon such as Cerro de Pasco and Huánuco
and there are still small populations with African
ancestry in these areas.
Jefferson Farfan 06/07
Todos
los goles de Farfan de la temporada 2006/2007 en
la Eredivisie
List
of famed Afro-Peruvians
* Eva Ayllón - popular Peruvian musician
* Guajaja - popular Peruvian musician
* Susana Baca - folklorist and musician
* Nicomedes Santa Cruz - poet and folklorist
* Caitro Soto - composer of famed Toro Mata rhythm, popularized
by Celia Cruz in salsa style
* Teófilo Cubillas - one of history's greatest
footballers
* María Elena Moyano - civil leader
* Immortal Technique - hip-hop artist and activist
* Jefferson Farfan - leading scorer and star of PSV team.
* Julio Melendez - named the greatest Boca Juniors stopper
* Mauro Mina - boxer
* Cecilia Tait - the greatest smash in volleyball (Hall-Famer)
* Ricardo Palma - Limeño traditions writer of 1/4
African blood
* St. Martin de Porres - famous Limeño saint
* Ronaldo Campos de la Colina - one of the original founders
of Peru Negro and preserver of Afro-Peruvian rhythms played
on the cajon
References
* Blanchard Slavery and Abolition in early Republican
Peru
* Browser, F.P. The African Slave in Colonial Peru
* Lockhart, J. Spanish Peru: A Colonial Society
* Millones, Luis Minorias étnicas en el Perú
