Memorializing Slavery in Latin America

This exhibition is an exploration of artworks that memorialize Indigenous and African colonial slavery throughout Latin American contexts. This list is far from exhaustive and only centers on visual arts as a form of memorialization. Creative mediums like dance, music, and poetry are also other avenues Black and Brown people have utilized to memorialize their ancestral suffering.

From the 16th to the 19th Century, African slaves were exploited in Puerto Rico for coffee, sugar cane, and primarily gold. After the abolition of slavery in 1873, a group of citizens decided to construct a park in memory of that dark history. During a renovation in 1956, Víctor Manuel Cott Negrón would use himself as model for the bronze statue and design the piece we see today.

In one of the few pieces in this exhibit that features a woman and was also created by a woman, the central figure is a mother holding her child while also touching a drum. The drum creates a cultural bridge between Africa and the Americas, as enslaved Africans vitally maintained our rhythms throughout the diaspora. Although drum beats are unique to distinct Black culture, the drum is a unifying aspect of the entire Black diaspora. The child is representative of the future and the opportunity for Afro-Peruvian progress moving forward. This piece was revealed during a diversity parade, where people from all creeds were invited to celebrate the condemnation of slavery.

Slaves arrived at the end of the 16th century in Argentina, and they were not completely emancipated until 1861. Franciso Cafferata offers beautiful and painful dichotomy in this piece as the central figure is free, indicated by his broken chains, but still holds a pained and broken expression on his face. Whilst his physical form is free, Cafferata explores the mental anguish associated with enslavement.

Created by the Haitian sculptor and architect, Albert Mangones in 1969, the statue was commissioned by the government of President Francois Duvalier to commemorate the slaves who revolted against France. The central figure is blowing a conch as an initial battle cry, with machete in hand.

This piece visualizes the painful migrations that slaves often had to endure. The faces of the wooden people have saddened and pained, induced by the horrors they’ve survived or the anticipation of what is to come. Their necks actually shackled in cold iron.

In light of the abolition of slavery in 1998, painter and sculptor Laurent Valere choose Anse Caffard as the perfect place for a slavery memorial. Anse Caffard takes its name from a slave ship that carried 300 enslaved people after the trade was criminalized in 1817. Not only did this ship continue to perpetuate human rights abuses in 1830, but also decided to ship these 300 persons during a torrential storm that eventually destroyed the boat and only 86 slaves were rescued from the wreck. The 15 concrete busts reflect the light sand of Trinidad and Tobago, and their faces have pained and worn expressions to highlight the battles they’ve endured.

The Sugar Mill Triunvirato is one of the most important historical sites in Cuba, because it once was an active sugar mill in the 1800’s that exploited the labor of African enslaved people. In response to this injustice slaves revolted in the Rebellion of the Triunvirato, and Enrique Moret aimed to commemorate the history, brutality, and agency of Cuban slavery through this statue.

The Castillo San Severino fortress was originally destroyed after the British invaded; however, after their defeat, slaves rebuilt the fortress. Despite the history of exploitation associated with the construction of the fortress, it lated house runaway slaves and is now a key destination on the UNESCO Slave Route project. Rather than center the memorial through a statue, the national museum hosts cultural events and shares the artwork of Afro-Cuban artist, Augustin Drake Aldama to honor the legacy of African slavery.

Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo (Pilar Delahante) views her body as direct evidence of the forced displacement of people from Asia and Africa induced by colonialism. During this performance, Pilar Delahante ties a boat to her body and drags it across a piazza. This work draws a parallel between Pilar Delahante’s body and her Chinese and African ancestors that were brought to Cuba. In this work Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo is literally towing a boat, but metaphorically towing the history of her family.

This piece is a photographic installation that explores the separation between the Americas and Africa and the confusion of origin between both cultures. Color is central in this work to understand the historical references and parallels drawn by Campos-Pons. For example, the figure in blue represents the ocean’s Middle Passage, and the figure in cream represents the white sand associated with the Caribbean.

Diego Rivera painted this fresco in the Palace of Cortés based on a commission from a U.S. ambassador to Mexico. In a place that was once a refuge for conquistador Hernán Cortés, Rivera explores the history of Mexico and starts the fresco with colonization. However, Rivera decided to focus on the reality of Indigenous Folx from Cuernavaca, where the fresco lives.

Although this virtual exhibit hopes to highlight Latin American monuments of Indigenous and African Slavery, this exhibition takes place in the United States. However, this exhibit examines the realities of Indigenous folx when Southern Colorado was apart of New Spain and later Mexico. In this case, Enslaved Native Americans were often enslaved by Spanish or Mestizo owners, so I wanted to take the time to spotlight this hidden piece of history.

Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt constructed this monument as a political symbol in honor of Gaitana, an Indigenous woman. In the 1500’s the brutal Spanish conquistador, Pedro Añasco burned Gaitana’s son alive, so she proceeded to organize thousands of Native people to fight for their independence. As punishment she tore Añasco’s eyes out of their sockets and drug his body from town to town until he died. Betancourt wanted to depict this story as call for anti-colonialism.

This monument is unique because this is the only officially recognized monument to slavery in Colombia. Erected after the abolition of slavery in 1852, this memorial takes a more abstract vision of slavery. There are five rings along the length of the column and they represent 5 distinct commitments to end slavery.

Zumbi do Palmares is a popular Black figure in Brazilian history, and there are various statues of him throughout the country. Palmares was born free in 1655, and at the age of 6 he was kidnapped, baptized, and received a Christian name, Francisco. Later Zumbi do Palmares became one of the last leaders of the Quilombo people after challenging peace accords, that more so resembled assimilation to the Portuguese crown.

The Fazenda Machadinha is a cultural center that seeks to uplift and celebrate Afro-Brazilian cultures locally. As well as educate visitors on cultural practices like dance, music, food, and the history of slavery in Brazil. The cultural center also automobiles in order to enact new projects to improve the community or their educational resources.