Gaspar Yanga

Gaspar Yanga (born 1545), also called simply Yanga or Ñanga, was a Central African man who led a maroon colony of enslaved Africans in the highlands near Veracruz, New Spain during the early period of Spanish colonial rule. In 1609, Yanga led a successful rebellion against a Spanish attack on the maroon colony. Through negotiation with Spanish colonial authorities Yanga (or his descendants) achieved freedom for the maroon and the right to self-rule sometime between 1618 and 1641. The settlement was called San Lorenzo de los Negros, and was the first free town in the Americas.

In the late 19th century, Yanga was named as a "national hero of Mexico" and "The first liberator of America" . San Lorenzo de los Negros, located in today's state of Veracruz, was renamed as Yanga in his honor in 1932.

Early life Yanga, born in 1545, or Angola in the Congo region, where the name Yanga is more prevalent than in any other region of Africa today. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery in New Spain (colonial Mexico), where he was baptized with the name Gaspar Yanga. By 1640, nearly 150,000 enslaved people had been imported to New Spain, as sugar and textile production drove the demand for slaves. In the Americas, only Brazil had a higher import rate during this time.

Yanga's Rebellion Establishment of maroon community Around 1570, Yanga and a group of his fellow slaves escaped the sugar plantation where they were held, fleeing to the highlands near Mt. Orizaba. The runaway slaves, called , built a small maroon colony, or , which grew to a population of about 500 and remained undisturbed for 30 years.

The Spaniards refused the terms and went into battle, resulting in heavy losses for both sides. The Spaniards advanced into the maroon settlement and burned it. But, the maroons fought fiercely and were well accustomed to the surrounding terrain. The Spaniards could not achieve a conclusive victory. The resulting stalemate lasted years; finally, the Spanish agreed to parley. Yanga's terms were agreed to, with the additional provisons that only Franciscan priests (including Alonso de Benavides) would tend to the people, and that Yanga's family would be granted the right of rule.