Freedom, Enslavement and Resistance

Indigenous cultures of the Americas

Iberian culture and languages

West African religious practices

Northern European trade networks

Serving as military leaders in colonial armies

Working as enslaved laborers on plantations

Acting as intermediaries between Europeans, Africans, and Indigenous peoples

Establishing independent African settlements

By leading Indigenous rebellions against Spanish rule

By isolating Spanish colonizers from local populations

By facilitating communication, trade, and diplomacy, aiding in claiming Indigenous lands

By promoting the exclusive use of African languages in the colonies

Only religious leaders

Conquistadores, laborers, and artisans

Solely agricultural experts

Just interpreters for European powers

Leading a major slave rebellion in Florida

Being the first known African to arrive in North America as a free conquistador

Establishing the first African settlement in Mexico

Writing a famous account of the Middle Passage

He was given equal pay and status as European explorers.

He was forced to work as an explorer and translator, using his skills for colonial expansion.

He was treated as a diplomatic envoy between Spain and Morocco.

He was allowed to freely document his travels and experiences.

Both were enslaved and had no agency; they were merely victims of colonial exploitation.

Garrido maintained his freedom by serving in Spanish military forces, showing agency, while Estevanico was exploited as an enslaved explorer, highlighting forced labor.

Garrido was a translator, and Estevanico was a soldier; both had equal opportunities in the colonial system.

Both were free and wealthy conquistadors who volunteered their services to the Spanish crown.

By passively accepting their fate without resistance

By participating in conquest to gain freedom, using their skills as artisans, and acting as intermediaries

By completely isolating themselves from European and Indigenous societies

By refusing to learn new languages or adopt new skills

These interactions were always harmonious and mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Africans were caught between European colonial ambitions and Indigenous resistance, leading to complex alliances and conflicts, shaping the racial dynamics of the Americas.

Africans and Indigenous peoples always united to overthrow European colonizers, resulting in immediate independence.

Europeans completely ignored the presence and contributions of both Africans and Indigenous peoples.