'The Kingdom of Angola is not very far from here': The South Atlantic Slave Port of Buenos Aires, 1585-1640 (original) (raw)

This paper examines the role of Buenos Aires as a significant but overlooked hub in the transatlantic slave trade during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. It highlights the illicit practices surrounding slave shipments to the port, focusing on the case of the ship Nossa Senhora do Rosario, which illegally transported enslaved Africans from West Central Africa to Buenos Aires. Analysis of historical records reveals that over 34,000 Africans were forcibly brought to the city during this period, challenging prevailing narratives that underestimate Spanish involvement in the slave trade and the local dynamics that shaped African diasporic experiences.