Chapter Two. The Acquisition Of Slaves

Manuel Bautista Perez acquired slaves from both Upper Guinea and Angola. He was personally involved in the acquisition of slaves in Upper Guinea on two slave-trading expeditions to the Coast between 1613 and 1618. This chapter discusses the acquisition of slaves in Upper Guinea. It examines how the experience of slaves in Africa, both prior to and during captivity, affected their survival in the Americas and also provides a brief account of the way that slaves were acquired in Angola, before discussing the cost of slaves and the numbers exported from the Africa and America regions. The Portuguese acquired slaves through three means. The first was through warfare, the second was through tribute imposed on defeated local chiefs that was payable in slaves, and the third was through pombeiros. The early seventeenth century saw the growing importance of Angola as a source of slaves.Keywords: Angola; Manuel Bautista Perez; pombeiros; slaves; Upper Guinea coast