Spanish Slavers and European Interlopers on the Spanish Lake: Eye Witness Accounts from Shipwreck Survivors in the Lesser Antilles 1620-1635

Author(s): Victoria Stapells; Lillian Azevedo

Year: 2013

Summary

The Caribbean Islands, neglected by the Spanish in their conquest of the mainland, were colonized in the 1620s by French, Dutch and English settlers. In less than 50 years, the neglected Islands would become pivotal in European politics. Wealthy planters in England would control parliament for the next 150 years and the Caribbean would be changed forever, leaving behind a legacy of genocide, slavery and immigration. Slaves played a key role in this process.

This paper, based on primary sources from Spanish archives, looks at the testimonies from shipwrecked slavers and examines the evidence for a connection between Spanish slave traders and the establishment of European colonies. It also explores what can be learned from these accounts regarding life in the Lesser Antilles during this important period of transformation.

Cite this Record

Spanish Slavers and European Interlopers on the Spanish Lake: Eye Witness Accounts from Shipwreck Survivors in the Lesser Antilles 1620-1635. Victoria Stapells, Lillian Azevedo. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, England, U.K. 2013 ( tDAR id: 428341)

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Keywords

General
Caribbean Shipwreck Survivors Slavery

Geographic Keywords
Anguilla Caribbean

Temporal Keywords
17th Century

Spatial Coverage

min long: -63.168; min lat: 18.165 ; max long: -62.973; max lat: 18.272 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 252