Enslaved black labor was essential for the defense of Santo Domingo City (1538)

Enslaved black labor was essential for the defense of Santo Domingo City (1538)
Comment by the Real Audiencia on the use of enslaved Black labor in the construction of the main defensive structures of Santo Domingo City, 1538
ESPAÑA. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA, Archivo General de Indias,
ES.41091.AGI/23.14.415//SANTO_DOMINGO,49,R.9,N.59

TRANSCRIPTION

nos mando. escribir. con el Armada. de perea./ y los que este. françes. /
a confesado. y la venida. de la misma. nao. / y como. en la /
verdad. toda. la fuerça. y defensa. de estas. Yndias /
es este puerto. de santo. domingo como. en el rreyno de navarra /
pamplona. y que si se apoderasen. en esta çiudad. Correria /
mucho. rriesgo. todo lo demas. / Avemos proveydo. que la /
jente. de pie y de cavallo. este siempre. Aderesçada. lo mejor /
que podemos. y que la fortaleza. tenga. el artilleria. donde /
mejor se pueda Aprovechar__ de ella . y ansi se haga. vn sitio /
donde. esten. quatro pieças. de culebrinas. E medias. cule /
brinas. que tenemos. por çierto. que rresitiran. la entrada /
de este puerto. demas de ser el en si [in between lines: casi toda] muy fuerte. por ser /
todo de peña. tajada. de manera. que no creemos. que por el /
Rio. ninguno. osara. Acometer. salvo. sino fuere por  /
vna. playa. quecae. media. legua. de esta çiudzd. por la mismaa /
costa. de la mar. que por Alli paresçe. que con bateles. podrian /
echar. Jente en tierra y como esta playa. cae. la entrada /
de ella. por lo mas flaco. de la çibdad. que es por vna. çabana. llana /
que terna. desde la mar hasta el monte. obra. de mill. pasos /
de ancho. visto esto. platicamosen fortaleçer. esta en /
trada. y para de presto. Avemos . hecho. estos mill pasos /
de vna cava. que terna de hondo. dos estados. y de ancho veynte /
pies y de la tierra y barro. que de aqui se a sacado. se a. hecho. en /
çima. vn rreparo. de otros dos. estados. y de diez y seys. pies /
de ancho. con su madera. bien travada. lo meJor que A paresçido /
de manera. que desde lo baxo. hasta lo alto terna. de altura /
la cava. y rreparo. quatro. estados. y se acabara. toda ella /
esta semana. Restan por hazer. quatro. o çinco. Bestiones /
que Caen. A sus trechos. para en que se ponga. el Artilleria. /y A /
Cabado sera harto fuerte. para. defender. Aquella entrada. /
que es lo flaco. que esta çiudad. tiene. y Adonde cae. El desenbar /
cadero. de la playa. / esta defensa. se a. hecho. con Algunos. ne /
gros. que se an rrepartido. entre los veçinos. que An servido. poco. mas /
de mes. y medio. y lo que rresta de los baluartes. se hara. con los /
negros. que la çiudad tiene. y Algunos. gastos. menudos. que /
en ello. se an. hecho y los que fueren menester. hasta del todo /
lo Acabar se pagaran. de la sisa. por no dar mas fatiga. Al pueblo /



ENGLISH TRANSLATION

we were ordered to write with the army of Perea and what this French man has confessed, and the arrival of the same ship and since all the force and defense of these Indies is in fact this port of Santo Domingo, like in the kingdom of Navarra Pamplona. And if they took control of this city, all the rest would be much at stake. We have provisioned that those people on foot and horseback are to be always prepared the best way we can, and the fortress to be equipped with artillery placed where we can make the best use of it, and so make room for the four pieces of culverins and half culverins and we are certain that they will resist the access to this port, besides it being [in between lines: almost all] very strong for it is made of rock and carved in such way that we are certain that no one will dare to pass through the river, unless it was through a beach about half a league from this city, through the sea coastline, which apparently people can hit land on small boats. And since the entry of this beach is facing the narrowest part of the city, which consists of a plain livestock land that goes from the sea to the hill, about a thousand steps wide, after seeing this, we discussed about strengthening this entry, and very soon we will have done a pit of a thousand steps that will be fourteen feet deep and twenty feet wide. And from the soil and mud resulting from it, a rampart will be made of also fourteen feet and sixteen feet wide fastened with wood, the best one ever. This way, both pit and rampart will be twenty eight feet high from the bottom and will be completed this week. There are still four or five bastions to be made for the artillery and, when finished it will very strong for defense the weak access this city has and which leads to the quay of the beach. This defense has been done with some Blacks distributed among the residents and who have served about a month and a half. And what is yet pending for the bastions will be done by the Blacks in the city and some minor expenses incurred and those that may be necessary in order to complete the whole thing will be paid out of the excise to make things easier to the people



Defensive walls next to Ozama River

Defensive walls next to Ozama River

Commentary

The Audiencia judges of 1538 La Española praised the port of Santo Domingo as being “the fortification and defense of these Indies” claiming that, if enemies were to take it, “everything else would be at risk.” They were confident that the natural structure of the city’s port, flanked by two rocky heights, allowed to prevent enemy ships’ access to the city. The flatlands west of the village were considered easy to conquer from the coasts and therefore a weak flank of the town’s defenses.

City officials reported to the Crown that a ditch had been dug about twenty feet wide along the entire defensive distance and a wooden wall built at the upper edge of the ditch. They were also building four bastiones along the same end of the city.

Three decades after the reference to enslaved Blacks being used to build the defensive walls of Santo Domingo, Black laborers were still fundamental to the defense of La Española.