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Gaspar Yanga (born 1545), Luis Camilla, "Gaspar Yanga", Black Past, accessed 10 December 2014 also called simply Yanga or Ñanga, was a Central Africa 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. (2026). 9780826347015, University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826347015Curto, José C. and Renée Soulodre-LaFrance. Africa and the Americas. Africa World Press: Trenton, New Jersey. 2005. pp. 174-177.
In the late 19th century, Yanga was named as a "national hero of Mexico" and "The first liberator of America" ("El Primer Libertador de América").Gaspar Yanga, el primer libertador de América - México desconocido magazine [3] San Lorenzo de los Negros, located in today's state of Veracruz, was renamed as Yanga in his honor in 1932.
The community survived in part by raiding caravans transporting goods along the Camino Real (Royal Road) between Veracruz and Mexico City, which caused trouble for the local colonial government. After military attempts to quell the raids failed, in 1608 the viceroy Luis de Velasco decided to engage in negotiations with Yanga, who was the palenque's leader. In his list of demands, Yanga asked for freedom for the fugitive slaves of his community, and that they be recognized as a free town with their own council. In return, the community would help catch and return other fugitive slaves.
Upon the approach of the Spanish troops, Yanga sent terms of peace via a captured Spaniard. He asked for a treaty akin to those that had settled hostilities between Indians and Spaniards: an area of self-rule in return for tribute and promises to support the Spanish if they were attacked. In addition, Yanga said this proposed district would return any slaves who might flee to it. This last concession was necessary to soothe the worries of the many slave owners in the region.David Davidson, Negro Slave Control and Resistance in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1650, in "Maroon Societies: Rebel Slave Communities in the Americas", ed. by Richard Price (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), pp. 94-7.
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 provisos 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. In 1618 the treaty was signed. By 1630 the town of San Lorenzo de los Negros de Cerralvo was established. Located in today's state of Veracruz, the town has been renamed Yanga.
In 2019, Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz wrote a piece called Yanga, using a text by Santiago Martin Bermúdez. The music reflects Yanga's story and the African cultural roots found in Mexico. It was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, featuring an orchestra and solo percussionists playing various African percussion instruments, including batás, guiros, shekeres, cabasas, and others.
In 2023, the United States National Endowment for the Arts awarded a grant to Cara Mia Theatre Company in Dallas, Texas to develop a drama about Yanga's story.
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