December 1521–January 1522
Enslaved Africans rebel on Hispaniola; colonial authorities tighten controls
Nigua region, Hispaniola; present-day Dominican Republic
Enslaved Africans rose against Spanish colonial rule during the Christmas season of 1521. A decree issued on 6 January 1522 described attacks in the Nigua region and the governor’s armed suppression, then imposed severe controls on escape, weapons and movement between estates.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The decree is the authorities’ hostile account of resistance, not testimony from the rebels. Its January date places the preceding Christmas uprising in 1521; older accounts often date it to 1522. This Caribbean entry provides context for slavery and resistance before English Virginia.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 2, p. 32; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- Diego Colón, decree of 6 January 1522, preamble and ordinances I–VI; Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, CUNY DSI translation, pp. 46–51 ↗