Sixteenth-Century La Española: Glimpses of the First Blacks in the Early Colonial Americas Severe punishment of black slaves in Santo Domingo (1519)
ESPAÑA. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA, Archivo General de Indias,
ES.41091.AGI/24.3.2//JUSTICIA,43,N.4
TRANSCRIPTION
viiio testigo
iiiio
esclavos que /
se cortaron /
los pies /
_____________________________________________________
[...]
E despues de lo suso dichoen la dicha çibdad de santo domingo /
este dicho dia mes e Año suso dichos. el dicho señor lizençiado /
Rodrigo de figueroa en pr esençia de mi el dicho escrivano para averigua /
çion de la dicha pesquisa sycreta [sic] hiso [sic] paresçer Ante sy /
A anton de Angulo çirujano del qual tomo e Resçibio juramento /
en forma devida de derecho so cargo del qual dixo lo syguiente /
A la quarta pregunta dixo que estando estos esclavos en la /
carçel Antes que los sacasen a haser justiçia el dicho çeron /
le hablo A este testigo como a çirujano que tenia cargo de curar /
çiertos presos negros que fueron heridos Al tienpo que los pren /
dieron por çiertos delitos que avian hecho e le dixo que a /
vian de sacar sus negros a justiçiar que estoviese presto con /
lo que fuese neçesario para curallos e que este testigo por satysfaser /
Se de lo que se avia de haser dixo que queria hablar primero Al dicho /
liçençiado çuaço e este testigo e el dicho çeron fueron A casa del /
dicho liçençiado e este testigo le pregunto por donde se avian de /
cortar los pies A los dichos esclavos e que el dicho liçençiado /
çuaço Respondio que este testigo como çirujano señalase por don /
de se avian de cortar e queeste testigo estonçes [sic] se fue A la carçel e quan /
llego ya los avian sacado A traer por las calles e este testigo /
mientras los trayan Aparejo lo que hera menester paralos curar /
e en esto llegaron los dichos negros A la picota e este testigosa /
lio de la carçel e fue Alla e que vno de los dichos negros tenia /
ya Atado vn pulgar del pie que es El dedo mayor çiertos /
el qual tenia Atado por la primera juntura e que por la primera /
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
[On the left margin: 8thwitness] [...] rand after what was said in the said city of Santo Domingo on the said day,
and in the said month and year, the said licenciado Rodrigo de Figueroa in my presence, the said notary in
order to investigate the said secret inquiry, ordered to appear before him Anton de Angulo, surgeon, who gave
oath in due legal form under which he said the following:
[On the left margin: 4th / slaves that had their feet cut/] To the fourth question he said that while these slaves were in
prison, before they received justice, the said Ceron spoke with this witness because he was a surgeon in charge
of curing some of the black prisoners that were wounded when they were caught for some felonies they had
committed, and he told him that these black men were going to be taken out to be punished so he had to be
ready with whatever was necessary to cure them, and that this witness in order to assure himself what had to be
done said he wanted to speak first with the said licenciado Zuazo, and this witness and the said Ceron went to
the house of said licenciado and this witness asked him where to make the cut in the feet of the slaves, and that
the said licenciado Zuazo responded that this witness since he was a surgeon should indicate where to make the
cut, and that this witness then went to the prison and when he arrived they had already been taken out to the
streets, and that this witness, while there were being brought, prepared all that was necessary to cure them and
then the said black men arrived at the pillory, and this witness left the prison and went there, and that one of
the said black men had his big toe, which is the main toe, already tied certain [sic] which was tied by its first
Colonial fortress
Commentary
As part of the juicio de residencia conducted in the city Santo Domingo at the end of the tenure of several colonial officials in 1519, local witnesses were called to testify as to how these officials had handled events that had happened during their term in office and under their respective jurisdictions. One of the witnesses called was local surgeon Anton Angulo, who testified as to how some Black slaves convicted of crimes had been punished by having part of their toes severed.Angulo was the official in charge of executing the punishment and in his deposition, he described how, before starting the procedure, he had been approached by the slaves’ owner, who was concerned as to how the slaves would be cured after the toes were severed. Angulo also declared that, before applying the punishment, he decided to consult with Audiencia Judge Alonso Zuazo on how much of the slaves’ toes he was supposed to cut.