Gaspar Yanga and Blacks in Mexico:1570 African Slave Revolt in Veracruz

The heritage of Africans in Mexico after Christopher Columbus is a rarely explored topic in the history books of the Americas. Gaspar Yanga is one of the neglected figures within African history in the Americas. He was the founder of the town Yanga, located in the Veracruz region of Mexico, between the Port of Veracruz and Córdoba. It is among the first free African settlements in the Americas after the start of the European slave trade.
While the available official reports regarding the history of Gaspar Yanga is sorely lacking, local lore reports that Yanga escaped slavery from the region of the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion plantation in 1570. Regional lore also provides that Yanga was a prince stolen from a royal family of Gabon, Africa. The word “Yanga” has origins in many regions of West and Central Africa, including the Yoruba regions in Nigeria where the word means “pride”.
Between 1570 and 1609, Yanga led his followers into the mountains located in the vicinity of Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl, or “star mountain”, the highest mountain in Mexico), the Cofre de Perote, Zongolica and Olmec regions. The Olmec controlled this region during its empire over the region (1200 BC to 400 BC), which included the jurisdiction of the current nation of Mexico.
By 1600, it is reported that the Yanga maroon settlement, or palenques, was joined by Francisco de la Matosa and his group of African maroons. All of this occurred before the independence of Mexico from the Spanish crown.
Yanga’s early palenques would turn into decades-long resistance against colonial Spain. In 1609, Spain’s viceroy of New Spain (the colonial name of Mexico) was Luis de Velasco, Marquis of Salinas. That year, Velasco sent Captain Pedro González on a military expedition against the Yanga palenques. The battle came to a head at the Rio Blanco and resulted in major losses on both sides.
By 1631, viceroy of New Spain Rodrigo Pacheco began negotiations with the Gaspar Yanga resistance. Yanga struck an agreement with the colonial leader respecting Spain’s recognition of an autonomous region for the African community. The first official name was San Lorenzo de los Negros (aka San Lorenzo de Cerralvo), near Córdova. Since 1932, the Mexican town has bore the name of its liberator Gaspar Yanga.
”Yanga is important to the people of Mexico and America,” said Gordillo Jaime Trujullo, who along with his wife Maria Dolores Flores promotes the town’s history. “It is a great deal and has not been taken into account. This town is the birthplace of freedom. The most important legacy of black Yanga is freedom. Freedom is what we appreciate most in this community.”
Like his birth, no definitive records are available regarding Yanga’s date of death. There is said to be a great deal of information in the national archives of Mexico and the archives of Spain, according to historian and anthropologist Antonio García de León. The first information about Yanga arose in the second half of the nineteenth century by the historian and military-man Vicente Riva Palacio, grandson of Mexico’s first black president, Vicente Guerrero.

JOHN BROWN (1800-1859)

John Brown, radical antislave, abolitionist who believed armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States.
Traumatized from his childhood to have attended violence imposed on a slave, he dedicated his life to the abolitionist cause after the murder, in 1837, of a friend who shared his ideas.
In 1847, having met Frederick Douglass, Brown got closer to the Afro-American community and lived in a farm of the State of New York.
From 1855, Brown, helped by his 5 sons, opted for violent action and settled in Kansas, then embryonic State (created in 1854) where there were a lot of  French slavers refugees of Santo Domingo.
The partisans and the opponents of the slavery had come to the armed struggle (the law there being vague on the question).
The slavers , the Border Ruffians coming from Missouri raised an armed militia.
Brown and his sons fought them.
In May 1856, in Pottawatomie Creek, Brown and his supporters killed five pro-slavery supporters in the Pottawatomie massacre in response to the sacking of Lawrence sacking of Lawrence by pro-slavery forces.
The same year, during the battle of Osawatomie, Brown defends a village against 400 assaillants.
On October 16th, 1859, Brown tries to raise the slaves of Virginia and takes control of the federal arsenal of Harps Ferry (West Virginia) to supply them weapons.
But it is a failure because no slave moves. Encircled by Marines and hurt, Brown is taken, sentenced to death and hung on December 2nd, 1859 in Charles Town (Virginia).
The execution of John Brown had a big echo and contributed to reunite the world opinion in the abolitionist movement.
Although Lincoln made nothing to prevent the execution of Brown which he considered as a terrorist and a visionary, the famous song John Brown Body became the hymn of the nordist armies during the American Civil War.
 
 
 

One step from England to Lisbon

Doing something different from a classic tour and leaving with one of the best souvenirs of
the trip is the reason why Letitia decided to take our tour.
An atypic tour that brings you to the past and the present and allows you to understand better the WHY of the racial composition of Lisbon’s population which is a true melting pot made of many Europeans and Africans.
We love to share with you culture and spread knowledge with you, do not hesitate to book our
tour, we are waiting for you !img_20161022_135752-2

180 years of Sa Da Bandeira decret

10 Dec 1836- 10 dec 2016…

10 Dec 1836 could remain as one of the important dates in the life of thousands of slaves taken from their lands and brought to Portugal. A decret has been signed by Sa Da Bandeira, the new Home Affair Minister just 3 months after his arrival.

A hope for these people who had been deshumanized and humiliated to finally enjoy life and enjoy their freedom.

Did this decret change anything for them?

10 Dec 2016: 180 years later, what do the new generation know about this date?

The African Lisbon Tour talks about it.

200px-sa_da_bandeira
Santarém 26 Sept 1795- Lisbon 6 Jan 1876  

From Isreal to Lisbon

The African Lisbon Tour stills gathering people from all over the world to share history and
culture and spread truth and understanding with all of you.
Vadim and Marie respectively Engineer and Brain scientist, decided to take our tour and learn
about the African history. Their curiosity has turned into a big satisfaction to have made the
best choice of their trip.
This is a perfect example of the aim of the African Lisbon tour, creating link with any
condition of culture, nationality, ethnic or religion in order to create a huge brotherhood
across our civilization.img_20161012_102118-1

Kizomba train Sofia-Lisbon

Dear Followers,
It is always the same pleasure to share the African Lisbon stories in our tour.
This time we have the pleasure to welcome Lora Shumkova AKA Dj Kizombie from Bulgaria.
Kizomba – Lisbon, one passion, one connection, one step and Dj Kizombie takes advantage
of her holidays in Lisbon to spend this sunny day with us and sharing also about her
experience as a DJ woman of Kizomba.
These moments are ALWAYS precious and we LOVE it.
Come to join us, we’ll be happy to welcome us !
Read More “Kizomba train Sofia-Lisbon”

YES, WE TOUR!!!

From Croatia to Lisbon, same interest: sharing and learning about the African history.
With Snjeana, we started under the rain and finished under the drops too. The most important
thing is the fact that we’ve done it and liked it. We both came back satisfied for making this
rainy day productive and joyful.
No limit for learning and making the history of Africa real.
We are waiting for you too ! Please, take contact with us if you want to join us

Even under the rain

History needs to be known, history needs to be shared, History needs to be taught because
history is the cement of every society. The more you know about your history, the better you
understand yourself, your culture and your living environment.
The mission of the African Lisbon Tour is very simple: unveiling the secret that European
societies still try to hide at all costs to our generation and to the next generations.
The African Lisbon Tour continues to attract people who want to share their opinions about
history. No matter the weather and the circumstances, the desire to know is stronger than
staying under the duvet, watching a movie or eating some popcorns.
With your raincoat or your umbrella, get out and join the tour as these ladies did.

From left to right:
Michele, Belinda, Chonteau, Shameika, Shenita, Michelle and Angela.

History will survive.

Read More “Even under the rain”