1861 Manuscript Record of Black Residents of Guane, Pinar del Rio Cuba Transcribed from Government-Mandated Afro-Cuban Registrations

On offer is a remarkable piece of Afro-Cuban history related to the Black Cuban population in 1861, several years before the African slave trade in Cuba was formally abolished.

This document is a 12-page government-compiled list of all Black residents of Guane, Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The information was gathered from registration cards that were completed and collected in accordance with a Cuban Royal Order imposed on December 2, 1859. Residents of colour had to indicate their name, age, marital status and profession or social position. 

This document lists 322 of these Black residents and provides all of their information. It is stamped by the Captain of the Government of Guane. 

Cuba had a great need for inexpensive labour to support their sugar industry. While America and Britain signed a treaty in 1814 to abolish the African slave trade, it took many years for complete global abolition. The African slave trade was not ended in Cuba until 1886, despite it being formally abolished in 1867 (Yun & Laremont, 2001). During the Chinese coolie trade (1847-1874) African slaves often worked alongside Chinese indentured labourers. 

This document provides insight into not only who the Afro-Cuban citizens were within the Pinar del Rio population, but also into the record keeping of the Cuban government and the restrictions placed upon the Black population of the time. 

The document approx 8.5x12 inches. It appears to have previously been stapled, and there are marks where the staples were removed. It contains three sets of folded templates that have been hand-filled, with four pages of content in each set. They are  unbound with a total of 12 pages of content. The document is age toned with minor bends and some small tears that do not impact the content. Overall Good.