Indios Secretly Sold as Slaves in 1550

 

As pointed out by many modern historians since Salvador Brau, Indians did not disappear from Puerto Rico. One reference to them can be found in a letter from Governor Vallejo to the Crown on PARES, mentioning how some Indians were still secretly sold and treated like slaves in the colony. This is interesting since Charles V had already outlawed Indian slavery. When it was implemented in Puerto Rico, according to Brau, in 1544, only 70 native Indians of the island were found and freed. Undoubtedly, this was an undercount as some vecinos of the island hid their Indians. Even Vallejo himself, in another letter from August 1550, mentioned a monastery run by the Dominican order that possessed black and Indian labor. There were also indios on the island of Mona, supposedly devout Christians. At some point, a pueblo called Cibuco was also established with indios (mentioned by Lopez Velasco). References to "indios" in Arecibo as well as Quebrada de Doña Catalina in the 1560s certainly suggests Indians, both native and foreign, were still around.

What is most intriguing about the December 14, 1550 letter is the hints it provides about the Indians of Puerto Rico. The complete letter, for instance, mentions the superstitions of the Indians and discusses the need to ensure their instruction in the Catholic faith. Thus, Vallejo seems to be in support of Indians remaining with an amo, provided they are paid for their labor, dressed and receive religious instruction. Indeed, it was better to leave them with white employers than risk them joining the negros or persisting in their religious errors. Indeed, why separate them from their owners and risk them turning into vagabonds? Moreover, Vallejo described them as "liviana" and "supersticiosa" people who liked to join blacks. This letter, despite its brevity, nonetheless indicates Spanish elite fears of African and Indian collaboration.