Yanga-first free town in the Americas

My faithful co-pilot consulted his maps and charts and set the directions to Yanga after driving about an hr., through beautiful lush green, vibrant country side we were arriving at another town rich in history, all but forgotten in Mexican history. Homes were simple, their people full of pride. In the distance you could see old buildings, no doubt, old Spanish haciendas which have fallen in disrepair, forgotten by time as well as their owners. During the early day of the "Nueva España," there were thousands of African slaves working the cane fields, the slaves outnumbered the Spaniards 30 to 1. They lived in constant fear of uprisings from Indians and African slaves. The Chichimeca Indians who lived here, before the arrival of the Spaniards, were in no better condition than the Africans. During the late 1500s, there were a number of uprisings but the most successful one was led by Gaspar Yanga, an African slave who was brought to Veracruz. It is said that he was from royal family in Gabon. He became the leader of an uprising with about 500 other slaves and settled in the high mountain of Veracruz. In order to survive, he and his followers constantly raided the Spanish haciendas and the supply caravans making their way to the port of Veracruz to export the Mexican riches to Spain. Well... it seems that Yanga and his followers were more than the local garrison could handle, so the Viceroy of Spain sent the Royal army from Puebla with orders to quell the insurgents and crush Yanga. They quickly found out that this was easier said than done. Time after time, Yanga would attack the royal army and flee to the mountains where the Spaniards were outmaneuvered by guerrilla tactics and fierce fighting. After several defeats of the royal army, the Viceroy called for a treaty. In exchange for their freedom and that of all their descendants, Yanga would stop raiding the caravans. This is how the town of "San Lorenzo de Los Negros" was born with Yanga as their mayor. Later the name of the town was changed to Yanga.
Below is the sign that welcome the traveler to the town of Yanga. You can see that they are proud to have been the first town in the Americas to have freed the slaves.


































You may recall from previous entries on this blog, the location of the central plaza and the location of the building are determined. On top left is the where the civic orchestra or bands play on week ends. To the right above and below is the most important church of the town and
below left is the government building. Cont. Yanga part 2