Slaves of the Buccaneers: Mayas in Captivity in the Second Half of the Seventeenth Century

Multinational groups of buccaneers repeatedly raided settlements all along the coast of Tabasco and the Yucatán Peninsula. The freebooters not only looted whatever valuables they could find but also abducted and enslaved numerous coastal inhabitants, particularly Mayas. Some captives were taken to the raiders’ base on the small island of Tortuga, others were brought to the Laguna de Términos and from there to colonial slave markets, and some had to accompany the marauders on their voyages. Indigenous people who suffered under the colonial regime also languished when they fell into the hands of Spain’s enemies.