Havana and the Atlantic in the Sixteenth Century (Envisioning Cuba)

305 Pages·2008·2.95 MB·English

by  Alejandro de la Fuente

Havana and the Atlantic in
the Sixteenth Century
Envisioning Cuba
Louis A. Pérez Jr., editor
Havana and the Atlantic in
the Sixteenth Century
Alejandro dela Fuente
Withthe collaboration of
César García del Pinoand
Bernardo Iglesias Delgado
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
This book was published with the assistance of the
William R. Kenan Jr. Fund of the University of North Carolina Press.
©2008 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Set in Trinité by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines
for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fuente, Alejandro de la, 1963–
Havana and the Atlantic in the sixteenth century /
Alejandro de la Fuente ; with the collaboration of
César García del Pino and Bernardo Iglesias Delgado.
p. cm. — (Envisioning Cuba)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8078-3192-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Havana (Cuba)—History—16th century.
2. Havana (Cuba)—Economic conditions—
16th century. I. García del Pino, César.
II. Iglesias Delgado, Bernardo. III. Title.
F1799.H357F84 2008
972.91'2303—dc22 2007044528
12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
To three beloved friends, forever with me:
Manuel Moreno Fraginals:
here is the book that we discussed so many times
Ward“Su Majestad” Stavig,
for all the fun and for those bottles of mediocre wine
Manuel“Mano” Ferrero,
my brother in good and bad times
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Contents
Acknowledgments xi
ONE
Introduction 1
TWO
The Port: Shipping and Trade 11
THREE
The Fleets and the Service Economy 51
FOUR
Urban Growth 81
FIVE
Production 118
SIX
Slavery and the Making of a Racial Order 147
SEVEN
The People of the Land 186
Epilogue 223
Notes 229
Bibliography 263
Index 281
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Illustrations, Tables, and Figures
Illustrations
Wine consumption in sixteenth-century Europe, 23
“Die Grosse Insel Cuba” (The Great Island of Cuba), 68
Entrance to the Havana harbor, 75
Port city of Havana in the early seventeenth century, 76
Urban area of Havana around 1580, 109
Diagram of Havana by engineer Cristóbal de Roda, 1603, 115
Atlantic ships, 131
Sugar mill using Mediterranean technology, 139
Black servant in sixteenth-century Portugal, 155
Baptism of Africans, 163
Paying sailors before the transatlantic voyage, 216
Tables
2.1 Shipping Movement, 1571–1610, 13
2.2 Value of Imports and Exports (in Reales) by
Commercial Sector and Region, 1578–1610, 15
2.3 Value of Commodities, Percentage Distribution
by Commercial Sector, 1578–1610, 18
2.4 Fabrics Imported, 1578–1610: Quantity,
Average Prices, and Places of Origin, 33
2.5 Origin of Imported African Slaves,
Percentage Distribution, 1570s–1610, 41
3.1 Issues Discussed by the Cabildo,
Percentage Distribution, 1550–1610, 54