The
History and Struggles of the Afro-Mexican
Introduction
Afro-Mexican
is, unfortunately, not a widely used term to describe those who are citizens of
Mexico
but are of African descent. Over time, these people were coerced by lack of
societal acceptance to assimilate and try to hide their African roots. When the
Spanish initially settled in Mesoamerica, which is located between North and South America, they brought with them black slaves. The
Pope prohibited the enslavement of Native Americans when the present slave
population dwindled. This led the Spaniards to “import large numbers of slaves
from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal,
Gambia, Nigeria, the Congo,
and Angola”
(“Afro-Mexican”, 2007).
