The story of the enslaved Black man who became king in Venezuela in 1552
MILDRED EUROPA TAYLOR Sep 12, 2020 at 09:00am
Miguel I de Buría, also known as King Miguel and Miguel the Black
His reign was shortlived, but his resistance and that of his followers in what would be one of the first challenges to Spanish colonial rule in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America inspired thousands of slave revolts over the next three hundred years. That is the story of Miguel de Buria, who is believed to be the first and only king of African descent in Venezuela.
History says that in the 16th century, enslaved men and women were transported all over the New World, and in Venezuela particularly, around 100,000 slaves were imported from Africa to work on sugar and indigo plantations, as well as mines that were being managed by the Spanish crown. Those mines included the popular Real de Minas de San Felipe de Buria, where both African slaves and indigenous Jirajara natives extracted valuable minerals from the earth.
Among those workers was Miguel. Born around 1510 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miguel was brought to Venezuela by slaveowner Damian del Barrio before he was later inherited by his son, Pedro del Barrio. While working on the Real de Minas de San Felipe de Buria in the province of Yaracuy, Miguel, who had then gained fame as a rebellious slave, resisted an attempt by a Spanish foreman, Diego Hernandez de Serpa, to punish him.
An account states that Miguel grabbed a sword from the foreman and fought him before escaping to the nearby Cordillera de Merida mountains. It was from his base in the mountains that Miguel started a maroon colony and ultimately led a rebellion of enslaved workers in the San Felipe Mines. Miguel’s forces included freed Africans, mulattoes, Zambos, and Jirajara indigenous Americans — numbering 1,500. It is not known the exact location of his maroon colony which eventually became known as the kingdom of Buria, but what is known is that Miguel was made king of the colony in 1552 while his wife and son became the queen and prince.
With his weapons and followers, Miguel was able to attack Spanish guards at the San Felipe Mines. He captured many of them and killed those who had been so cruel to the enslaved workers. Miguel and his followers then attacked other plantations and mines across the Yaracuy province, and in the midst of the raids, he freed enslaved workers and brought them to his colony, where some became administrators, governors and military officers.
More:
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/miguel-de-buria-the-enslaved-black-man-who-became-king-in-venezuela-in-1552
