Francisco de Arrobe

Francisco de Arobe (Esmeraldas, Viceroyalty of Peru, c. 1543 - Esmeraldas, after 1606) was a leader of the Afro-indigenous maroon communities, also known as zambos, who lived along the coast of Esmeraldas during the early years of the Viceroyalty of Peru, during the period when the Royal Audience of Quito was being founded. He was portrayed by :es:Andrés Sánchez Gallque in the famous painting known as The Mulattos of Esmeraldas.

Early years Francisco de Arobe was the son of a black man named Andrés Mengache from Madagascar and a Nicaraguan indigenous woman of unknown name. Together they had managed to escape from a slave ship anchored on the coast of Esmeraldas. Andrés Mengache founded a maroon community on the coast in the 1550s and 1560. By 1577 he had been killed in disputes with neighbouring Native American communities. His sons Juan and Francisco inherited his leadership role. In that year another maroon leader, Alonso de Illescas sought to bring them under his control. He was unable to do so, even with Spanish help.

This power struggle between the Illescas and the Mangache-Arobe family was made worse by the suspicion that Alonso had murdered Andrés Mangache. The conflict was resolved when Francisco’s brother Juan Mangache married a daughter of the Illescas. The two families accepted each others’ rule in specific areas: the Illescas in Cabo Pasado to the south, and the Arobe in the bay of San Mateo, to the north.

1570s Due to the struggle between the indigenous people and the mulattoes, as well as the attempts at alliances between them, there would be several conflicts with two distinct sides. One, led by Illescas and his alliance with indigenous people had a more rebellious character, and the other led by Francisco de Arobe who had a peaceful approach towards the Spanish monarchy in America. This would lead Arobe to adopt the Catholic religion in 1578 and approve the construction of a church in his town, Bahía de San Mateo. It also criticised him and his sons for failing to apprehend the instigators of unrest in the coastal communities. Francisco de Arobe threatened to burn his fields and disappear into the forests if the government sent troops to restore order. The official investigating the unrest reported that Francisco de Arobe and his people were drunkards and not true Christians, and that the money spent in Quito on gifts for them had been wasted.