Gaspar Yanga

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A sculptor's interpretation of Yanga, located in the town of Yanga, Veracruz

Gaspar Yanga--often simply Yanga or Nyanga--was a leader of a slave rebellion in Mexico during the early period of Spanish colonial rule. Said to be a member of the royal family of Gabon, Yanga came to be the head of a band of revolting slaves near Veracruz, Mexico around 1570. Escaping to the difficult highlands, he and his people built a small free colony. For more than 30 years it grew, partially surviving by capturing caravans bringing goods to Veracruz. However, in 1609 the Spanish colonial government decided to put an end to the community.

[edit] Spanish attack

The Spanish troops which set out from Puebla in January of 1609 numbered around 550, of which perhaps 100 were Spanish regulars and the rest conscripts and adventureres. The Maroons facing them were an irregular force of 100 fighters with some type of firearm, and four hundred more with little but stones, machetes, bows and arrows, and the like. These troops were led by Francisco de la Matosa, an Angolan. Yanga--who was quite old at this time--decided to employ his troops' superior knowledge of the terrain to resist the Spaniards, with the goal of causing them enough pain to draw them to the negotiating table.

Upon the approach of the Spanish troops, Yanga sent terms of peace via a captured Spaniard. Essentially, Yanga asked for a treaty akin to those that had settled hostilities between Indians and Spaniards: an area of self-rule, in return for tribute and promises to support the Spanish if they were attacked. In addition, he suggested that this proposed district would return any slaves which might flee to it. This last concession was necessary to soothe the worries of the many slave owners in the region.

The Spaniards refused the terms, and a battle was fought, yielding heavy losses for both sides. The Spaniards advanced into the settlement and burned it. However, the people fled into the surrounding, difficult terrain, and the Spaniards could not achieve a conclusive victory. Unable to win definitively, they agreed to parley. Eventually, Yanga's terms were agreed to, with the additional proviso that only Franciscan priests would tend to the people, and that Yanga's family would be granted the right of rule. Finally, in 1630, the town of Yanga was officially established. It remains to this day.

[edit] Yanga in Mexican History

Five decades after Mexican independence Yanga was made a national hero of Mexico by the diligent work of Vicente Riva Palacio. The influential Riva Palacio (grandson of Mexico's "Black President", Vicente Guerrero) was an historian, novelist, short story writer, military general and mayor of Mexico City during his long life. In the late 1860s he retrieved from moldy Inquisition archives accounts of Yanga and of the expedition against him. From his research, he brought the story to the public in an anthology in 1870, and as a separate pamphlet in 1873. Reprints have followed, including a recent edition in 1997. Others have written about Yanga, but none have matched the flair of Riva Palacio in conveying the image of proud fugitives who would not be defeated.