Manumission of two female black slaves from Santo Domingo living in Seville (1568)

Manumission of two female black slaves from Santo Domingo living in Seville (1568)
In 1568, after serving two female masters for over a decade in Seville, two young female Black slaves born in Santo Domingo were granted freedom by their second master
ESPAÑA. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA, Archivo General de Indias,
ES.41091.AGI/10.42.3.7//CONTRATACION,5222

TRANSCRIPTION

+ /
 
Yo d[ieg]o de la barrera farfan escribano pu[bli]co de Sevilla doy /
fee que En sabado v[ein]te y siete días del mes de noviembre del año /
pasado de mill E qui[nient]os e sesenta e /ocho a[ñ]os ante mi El d[ic]ho [escribano] /
pu[bli]co E siendo presentes por t[e]s[tig]os El jurado Alonso davila E /
[An]tonio de Sotomayor e jo[a]n peres de Valderrama [escribano]s. /
De sevilla. hizo E otorgo su testamento doña bar /
bola de arana muger de don Alonso de avellaneda v[eçin]ade se /
villa En la collaçion de san andres. En el qual dexo /
por sus herederos. a don di[eg]o / Ortiz de avellaneda E doña /
angela e doña maria sus hijos ligitimos y del d[ic]ho don /
Alonso su marido y por sus albaçeas al d[ic]ho don Alonso /
De avellaneda su marido E a doña ana su tia E al padre /
fray di[eg]o solano de la horden de santo domingo su hermano. /
E a lucas de la sal v[eçin]os de[e]sta ciudad de sevilla. a todos. /
quatro juntamente E a cada uno de[e]llos por i ynsoli /
Dun y Entre las clausulas y mandas en El d[ic]ho tes /
tamento contenidas esta una clausula del tenor /
siguiente. _______ /
 
r yten ahorro y doy por libres a juana de color mula /
ta e a maria de cota de color negra mis esclavas las qua /
les me las dio mi señora doña maria De arana mi madre /
cada una de[e]llas En çient ducados y en [e]ste mismo preçio /
se podran tasar para que Entren En El quinto de /
mis bienes porque las d[ic]has esclavas. no valen /
mas E a cada una de[e]llas mando que les den v[ein]te ducados /
en dineros_________ /
 
[...]



ENGLISH TRANSLATION

+ I D[ieg]o de la Barrera Farfan public notary of Seville I certify that on Saturday twenty seventh day of the month of November of the past year of fifteen sixty eight before me the said public notary and being present as witnesses the jury Alonso Davila and [An]tonio de Sotomayor and Jo[a]n Peres de Valderrama [notarie]s of Seville, doña Barbola de Arana wife of don Alonso de Avellaneda resident of Seville at the parish of San Andres did and granted her testament. In which she left as beneficiaries don Di[eg]o Ortiz de Avellaneda e doña Angela e Doña Maria, her legitimate offspring and the aforementioned don Alonso her husband, and as executors of it don Alonso de Avellaneda her husband and doña Ana her aunt, and the priest fray Di[eg]o Solano of the Santo Domingo congregation, her brother and Lucas de la Sal, residents of this city of Seville to all four of them and each of them by him or herself together, and among the clauses and orders contained in the said will, there is a clause which reads as follows_______

r yten I set free and accept as free Juana, of mulatto color, and Maria de Cota, of Black color, my slaves, who were given to me by my lady doña Maria de Arana my mother each of them for one hundred ducados, and at this same price they may be assessed so as to include them in the fifth of my assets because the said slaves are not worth more and I order that each of them is given twenty ducados in money_________

[...]



Santo Domingo’s Colonial city seen from the eastern margin of the Ozama River

Santo Domingo’s Colonial city seen from the eastern margin of the Ozama River

Commentary

The process of liberating an enslaved person was called ahorramiento or manumission. It was recorded in a document that became a certificate of freedom which the formerly enslaved Black person had to have handy, in case they came across any socially powerful individual or government official who did not know them.

On November 27th, 1568 “doña Barbara de Arana,” wife of “don Alonso de Avellaneda” and daughter of parents who had enough means to have lived in Santo Domingo and then returned to reside in Seville, issued her testament in Seville in which she declared two female slaves, “Juana, de color mulata” and “Maria de Cota de color negra,” both of whom Barbara had inherited from her mother Maria de Arana, to be free. Each slave was valued by Barbara at 100 ducados. Barbara also ordered that after her death, each of the slaves was to be given 20 ducadosas well as being issued a certificate of freedom.